


To See Blue Skies

by KnifeBinaryPrince



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, BAMF Lance (Voltron), Blood and Gore, Champion Lance (Voltron), Fluff and Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), Galra Prince Keith (Voltron), M/M, Original Character(s), Personal Guard Lance (Voltron), Polylingual Lance (Voltron), Prince Keith (Voltron), Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 18:48:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 31
Words: 56,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9507155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnifeBinaryPrince/pseuds/KnifeBinaryPrince
Summary: He scoffed as he watched the fight below, the crowds going wild at the two fighters in the arena. They had such poor taste for entertainment these days.He heard a small sound of amusement from the one sitting next to his standing form, ever vigilant."As if you were any better your first time in the arena." They murmured under their breath, a small smile sneaking onto their face, pupiless gold eyes focused on the fight below, but their attention solely on the person standing guard next to him."I must have have been somewhat impressive to catch the eyes of a certain prince now wasn't I?"The prince snuck a glance towards the taller, whose face was hidden behind the helmet they wore."You caught a lot more than just my eye that's for sure."





	1. Little Boy Blue So Far From Home

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for all of these new au's and stories and such, this idea was too good to just let it lie around and collect dust in my brain.
> 
> Basically I wanted Lance to be appreciated more and have more bad ass moments so I pretty much rewrote his whole life in order to do it.
> 
> If anyone has any questions or concerns about this story just ask and I'll try to answer without spoiling too much of the story.

He doesn't remember how he came aboard the ship, crowded among strange, alien looking prisoners in a large cell of some sort, all wearing similar garb from what he could tell with what little light was present. Earlier that day he was just at the beach with his family, the sun was setting and it was getting dark, his uncle and dad manning the barbecue as his mother and grandmother watched his other siblings carefully as they played near the water's edge. He doesn't remember how far he had walked before the sounds of the grill and his siblings squeals and shouts were quieted, there was just a flash of light and then darkness, and here he was now, an eight year old among complete strangers, all of which he was certain weren't human in the slightest.

He curled himself into a tighter ball, forehead falling onto his knees as he tried to appear smaller than what he was; to stay out of sight and hopefully not attract any attention to himself. The cell was dark and quiet except for a few murmured conversations here and there among the prisoners, the words sounding like gibberish to his ears.

There was a loud clang that woke him up, in what he assumed was hours later, and the sounds of many feet of all kinds shuffling towards the front of the cell. A few fights broke out, loud yelling and pained grunts which kept him from investigating what everyone was going towards the front for.

Soon enough the crowd dispelled and settled back down, aliens going back to their respected places. He noticed one that laid on the floor where the crowd had gathered, still and unmoving, something dark staining the floor beneath them. He hid his face back in his arms, trying to purge the image from his mind, or at least distract himself from it for a little while. A tap on his shoulder did just that, and he lifted his head to look up with glassy eyes at the strange face before him.

Multiple black eyes arranged like that of a spider's stared back at him. The alien was kneeling beside him, and even like that he knew they were larger than most grown human men, towering over him even in this position. The stranger had white skin, nearly glowing even with the lack of light in the cell, and their arms and hands seemed too big for their body. It took him a few moments to see that the stranger was holding out something in his claws. A flat, square looking thing, colored white and looking grainy.

He carefully took the thing from them, turning it over in his much smaller hands and sniffing it questionably. The alien chuckled, bringing it's own piece from its other hand to its mouth and biting down before chewing.

So this was food.

He took a careful bite, wincing when it was harder than he thought but nonetheless breaking off a small enough piece to chew. The alien smiled, sharp fangs gleaming in the unnaturally dimmed light before sitting next him, dwarfing him by a good few feet.

_"Avre."_

He looked up from biting another piece off of his square, blue eyes focusing on the alien as they spoke, a clawed finger pointed at their chest.

_"Avre."_ They repeated.

It took him awhile to realize that they were telling him their name. And repeating the action he said his.

"Lance."

* * *

Days or weeks went by, he couldn't tell, when the entrance to the cell powered down, revealing a few guards who barked out orders, everyone stood up, including Lance, who after getting to know Avre, stuck close to their side like a child with their mother. Lance swallowed the lump in his throat, hastily wiping his eyes as they watered slightly, now was not the time to cry. He learned from the first body that hit the floor that you can't afford to be seen as weak here, Avre had helped to teach him that, hiding him from view whenever fat tears decided to roll down his face at the mere thought of his family.

Lance was handcuffed, as was every other prisoner in the cell as they all filed out. He winced as the bright light hurt his eyes, feeling sorry for Avre behind him, who was no doubt worse off with all of his extra eyes and such. When his eyes got used to the brightness however, he couldn't seem to open them any wider. The ship they had been in had delivered them to what looked to be a port, dark purple ships like the one he'd arrived in came and went, picking up or dropping off prisoners in a similar state as him.

There was no sky, only a black void with the twinkling lights of stars light years away. The port they were currently in was next to a bright, burning star.

The view didn't last long though, as him and the rest of the prisoners were taken and boarded on another ship, which immediately took flight. The prisoners were taken into a similar cell as the last, only this time a lot bigger and with more prisoners on board than the last. Lance clung to Avre's side, staying close to them and avoiding any stares directed his way.

They found a seat against the wall, a long bench set into it to accommodate the prisoners. Above it was rectangular cut outs, the only thing separating the prisoners from the vacuum of space was specialized thick panes of glass.

Avre must have noticed Lance glancing towards the small window with curiosity, the next thing Lance knew he was being lifted up in a giant clawed hand towards it. He didn't have time to be afraid however, especially when the stars glittered in a single stream of light as the ship flew by.

Lance's hands gripped the very edge of the window, breath fogging up the glass as he looked out in awe. After a minute or two he tapped the top of Avre's head, signaling he wanted to get down. Avre lowered his hand, allowing Lance to climb down and sit beside him. He smiled now, leaning himself against Avre's side, blue eyes half lidded as a yawn snuck out, eyes closing in sleep right after.

Avre wrapped an arm around the boy, tucking him into their side protectively as they awaited their next stop.

* * *

They were handcuffed once more and dropped off to another port a day or two later and earlier than normal, breaking the small routine Lance and Avre set up; a few minutes in the morning and night that Avre held Lance up to see the stars and any planets that passed by.

The planet they were currently on was a lot different than earth. The sky was a deeper blue than the ocean would ever be. The ground was colored in hues of red and gold sands, like fire beneath his feet. The prisoners were lead to the mines underneath the red ground, the cave walls a deep red with chunks of green rock or crystal in bedded in it.

Lance stuck close to Avre, who would gently nudge the child every now and again to keep him moving. It would do no good to have him punished now, before they even started their work.

The line of prisoners Lance was in was led to a large chamber littered with tools and stray chunks of rock across the ground. The line containing Avre and him was led to the far wall of the chamber, where they were uncuffed and told to start digging.

That was four years ago.


	2. A New Warrior Rises From The Blood and Ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only a few come out alive

Lance wiped the sweat from his brow, lifting the last of the ore into the hover carts before the buzzing of the alarm sounded, signaling the end of the day.

He jogged quickly to the line of prisoners filing down into the deeper caverns where they all slept for the night, only to start the day all over again. He looked around, face spreading into a wide grin as he found Avre within the crowd.

He fell into step behind them, grabbing the hem of their shirt as the lines filed through to the caverns below. Avre smiled, fangs and all as they looked at Lance, ruffling the long curled strands of hair affectionately.

 _"It's getting long."_ Avre said, pulling at a few strands softly.

Lance grinned, slipping into Avre's mother tongue quite smoothly, years of practice paying off.

 _"You want to cut it for me?"_ He asked, grin wide and smile toothy.

Once in the caverns they sat in their usual spot, Lance situated in Avre's lap as the taller took small locks of hair and cut them carefully with their claws.

Lance looked up as another alien sat in front of him, Driya.

She was one of the few aliens they both had met that had been in these mines long before them. She didn't talk much, saving her voice for short stories she would tell Lance right before it was time for lights out.

Besides Avre, Driya was one of his close favorites of aliens to talk to. She was tall, taller than Avre and skinnier too, he often wondered how she could even walk on her feet, which seemed like nothing more than twigs. She had dark, searching eyes, and he guessed what was supposed to be hair or dreads down her back, that seemed to move like snakes sometimes. It was slightly concerning the first few times it happened, scaring him half to death when he was younger. With some coaxing and gentle words he soon got over it, laughing when she had bent over towards him and let the snake like appendages tickle his face.

She had them pulled back today by a strip of cloth, only a few of the locks loose around her face, moving gently as if there was a breeze.

Lance sat up straighter with her, tilting his head to help Avre get the locks that curled around his ears.

Driya smiled at him, hands resting palm up in her lap as she got ready to tell her story.

Lance waited patiently for her to begin, eyes lighting up in anticipation for what was to come, so focused on her hands he didn't Notice Avre had finished cutting the rest of his hair, brushing the stray locks to one side.

Driya smiled at the light in his eyes, the familiarity bringing on painful memories that she fought to push back down. There was no time for that now, not here, not in front of the little one.

She started her story, the sound of her native language was gentle, rolling off the tongue like a stream over pebbles. Her voice was deep and comforting, some words coming out as soft rumbles that reminded Lance of warm sunsets on the beach and sleepy afternoons.

But Lance was more focused on her hands, small orbs and waves of light forming between the gaps where her palm and fingers met, like a skeleton, or a robot's hand without its exoskeleton.

Lance watched with rapt attention as the light swirled and readjusted itself to form different colors, distorting for a moment before focusing enough for Lance to pick out shapes within the small mass of light.

Driya told her story, words flowing like warm honey, voice low, almost a whisper as Lance leaned closer to hear every word.

She spoke of rolling hills of teal grass, lavender trees with rich red brown bark and soft pink waters that stretched for miles in complex, winding puzzles across the planet. She spoke of her tribe, and how the children would play and the adults would laugh at their antics, engaging in a bit of play themselves.

How everything was bright and colorful and always seemed to make her smile. At this Lance's gaze faltered, hearing the homesick tone and fondness creep into her voice, her eyes darker and glassier than normal as she gazed at the pictures of light that played between her hands, memories resurfacing, not all pleasant as the ones being told to him he knew.

He missed his family too, terribly so, often crying tears into Avre's fur when he slept.

He placed a hand to her leg, which was as far as he could reach from where he sat and gave her one of his blinding smiles.

A few tears fell from her face, a small smile appearing as the visions of light disappeared. She reached over and grabbed him, hugging Lance close to her chest, murmuring sweet nothings into his hair, the dreads closest to him moving gently against his cheek like soft kisses.

That's how Lance fell asleep, rocked in Driya's abnormally skinny arms against her offered warmth with Avre keeping watch over them both...until morning came.

 

They awoke to the Galra soldiers yelling, herding all prisoners to their feet and out of the caverns. Lance found Driya in the midst of the crowd, looking frantically around for Avre as the tall alien female held him close to her, keeping a physical tab on him while she looked for the other self pronounced guardian of the child.

The crowd was thick as they all bustled towards the few ships at the port, wherever they were going must have been important, the ships they were boarding were different than anything Lance had ever seen before. More extravagant and large enough to make Lance pause in awe even as the bright light from the sun burned at his eyes and caused him to squint.

He was pushed back into movement by Driya, who urged him to keep up. Lance complied and focused more on walking than sightseeing when he heard the urgent, worried tone in her voice, dark eyes scanning the surrounding crowd for Avre.

The crowd seemed to grow thicker, pushing against Lance and Driya like a tidal wave. Before long Lance could no longer feel the comforting presence of her arms around him, and further checking made him realize that he had lost her within the throngs of the crowd.

Before he could get his bearings Lance was pushed along onto one of the ships, stuck again and led by guards into a cell similar to the first one he'd been in all those years ago.

Darkness enclosed the whole area, leaving only the worried cries of a few prisoners and from what Lance could pick up the questioning murmurs of conversation of where they were all being taken to.

Lance found a small place to sit up against the wall closest to the only entrance and exit to and from the cell room, hugging his knees close to his chest. His eyes watered as he thought about Avre and Driya, the only family he had since being taken prisoner. He already missed his first family terribly, losing his second only seemed to rub salt into the wound.

Lance stayed out of sight and kept out of the way from most of the prisoners as the ship traveled through space to what the other prisoners called their final destination, which left Lance with a dire feeling forming in hid chest and chills down his spine which prompted him to tune the others out.

He didn't know when he fell asleep or for how long until the ship seemed to still, and once again the guards came to the cells to escort the prisoners off the ship.

As they walked single file out of the ship Lance couldn't help but to look around at the other lines, seeing if he could spot Avre or Driya anywhere. He picked up his steps however when the alien behind him shoved him forward for going too slow. Lance apologized, focusing on walking and staying in step with those in front as they were escorted through a variety of hallways. And looking back Lance realized they had docked into a ship bigger than the one he had just stepped foot off.

Just why were they here?

The long hallway soon split off into two, the guards splitting the group of prisoners somewhat evenly before continuing on.

As Lance walked he could hear a low thrum of voices up ahead. The voices turning to shouts and then a dull roar as they walked further and further down the hall to what he just knew would be their next, and possibly final, destination.

Lance shielded his eyes from the bright light, the dim hallway getting them used to the dark fairly quickly. Then again four years underground would do that to you as well.

The loud, pulsing sound of the crowd deafened him, pressing against all sides, wrapping around all his senses until he could only feel the crowd's excitement. But for what he couldn't tell.

It wasn't long until he found out.

The seats of the crowds formed a circle around the arena below, where it looked like a war zone took place. Parts and bits of what might've been aliens at one point littered the ground and walls of it, the victor pacing around, clearly hyped by the cheers of the crowd.

Lance was pushed in line with others near the entrance of the arena, and a cold feeling settled in his stomach as he realized he would soon be put in there to face the killer head on.

He watched as one of the few prisoners in front of him was pushed forward into the arena, pleading for their life, but to no avail.

Lance knew it wouldn't be long until it was his turn to face them, so he did the only thing he could do...watch.

In his time with Avre the older Alien taught him many things, one of which was to watch others, discreetly of course, but watch nonetheless. By watching you learn to anticipate their moves and can judge them, see which ones would be more inclined to help and which to stay away from.

Fights broke out as well nearly every day in the caverns, so it wasn't long before Lance learned the fighting styles and movements of certain species and those built like them and he used that knowledge to his advantage, especially when he trained with Avre.

Avre taught him to fight when they arrived, knowing full well given the schedules and job rotations that he wouldn't be with Lance 24/7. So learning to fight and defend himself was essential.

And watching as the line got shorter and shorter he would need to use everything he'd been taught to come out if this one alive.

From what he could tell the current winner of the fights was a big brute, using all of his strength in every punch and swing, which made his next swings a bit more sluggish than the last, something Lance took note of right away.

It was finally his turn and with a solid shove he entered the arena, taking in the dismembered bodies and blood splattered along the walls and ground, desperately trying to force down the bile that wanted to rise in his throat.

He took a deep breath, ignoring the smell of blood and rotting flesh as he surveyed the area around him, looking for some type of weapon.

A destroyed droid lay in a detached, crumpled heap a few feet from him, blaster still in its hands.

Bingo.

He ran towards it, prying the weapon from metal hands and jumping out of the way as the brute crashed into the wall where he had been just a few seconds ago.

Adrenaline rushed through his system as he ran, dodging swings and body parts being thrown at him as he focused on keeping his distance between him and the brute. He hid behind a pillar, looking around and trying to think about how to approach this and come out of this situation alive.

He thought back to the other fights he witnessed of the prisoners before him and as he dodged the dumb brute that crashed head on into the pillar he was once standing behind he realized there was a constant with his attacks. Whenever he'd swing or attack his chin would face down towards his chest, as if protecting something vulnerable.

With new vigor Lance jumped back out of the way of the first swing, distancing himself as he set to aim and fire the shot. Judging by how fast the brute was coming towards him he only had one shot. He took a breath, aimed, and fired at the eyes.

Bullseye.

As the brute reared up and grabbed at his eyes he revealed the soft underside of his neck, and with quickened reflexes Lance fired again, the shot aimed at the neck perfectly. There was the distinct smell of burning flesh and a sound of gurgling. And he realized maybe too late in the last dredges of the fight that the crowd had gone deathly silent, before erupting into a roar of chaos, the cheers for him deafening.

The Empire had a new Champion.

That was five years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any questions or concerns just ask!


	3. At That Moment He Knew Their Futures Would Overlap Catastrophically

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Prince must visit the Empire's Champion at least once shouldn't he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Working on the next chapter now!
> 
> I hope you guys liked this, tbh this seems more like a filler to me but whatever. If anyone has any ideas or small scenarios I could use or put into this story just let me know!
> 
> And if there's any mistakes just hmu

Lance barely even flinched as the blade from his opponent slashed across the back of his right shoulder blade, rolling out of the way of his next swing before aiming and firing at their shoulder.

They howled in pain, pure rage marring their features as they charged at him, switching their weapon to the other hand.

So they were ambidextrous, nice to know.

He dodged another attack, taking aim at a leg and shooting, and dodging yet another bout of rage aimed at him. They were slowing down considerably though, exhaustion clearly showing. Lance however, was only covered in a thin sheen of sweat, brown hair plastered to the sides of his face and forehead.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, prickling with a sense of being watched.

Which was ridiculous if you asked him, he was fighting in an arena, surrounded by a crowd of thousands that had gathered to watch him fight. All eyes were rightly on him, yet he only felt the burning gaze of one.

He'd felt it since his first fight in the arena, locating it to the high box were the emperor sat, along with his druid witch Haggard some days.

But no, that wasn't where the gaze was coming from. It was coming from next to the emperor, where the prince sat shrouded in shadow, the only thing he could see was the prince's eyes themselves; golden and burning like the sun from back home. Unlike other's however, these eyes didn't hold a cold, uncaring look. Most days it was indifferent, other days seemingly impressed when he took down a particularly large opponent.

After awhile he got used to the gaze, even going as far as sensing when it wasn't present. During those fights he found himself wanting to get the fight over and done with. Others he found himself dragging it on, wanting to make a show out of it.

Those days the crowds loved best.

***

The noise from the crowd could still be heard even from where Lance sat in the med bay, his wounds from his most recent fight bandaged, blood soaking through some parts of it and turning it red.

He winced as one of the lower level druids healed a gash on his back, the magic leaving a rancid smell and tickling his nose as flesh pulled from its place and knit back together.

At last they were done, and as silent as they came they were gone, leaving Lance alone with his thoughts, stretching out his left arm to loosen the tightened feel of newly healed skin.

Light footsteps entered the med bay, drawing his attention, there usually wasn't many that survived the arena fights, it was usually him and rarely another poor soul that didn't last longer than a few hours after.

He looked up as the steps stopped before him, eyes widening in surprise as he saw who it was; the Galran prince himself.

He rushed to stand up to show his proper respect- he unfortunately remembers the last prisoner that failed to do so and shuddered at the memory- but was stopped by a clawed hand pressing firmly to his shoulder.

_"There's no need to do all of that Champion. Only those inferior to me bow, and those wanting to try and kiss my ass to get on my father's good side of course, and you hardly seem the ass kissing type."_

Lance looked up, blue eyes meeting golden, pupiless ones that shined even in the dim light.

 _"Forgive me then your highness."_ Lance said straightening up as he spoke, voice low and guttural as the Galran language rolled off his tongue fluently, causing a look of surprise to cross the prince's features. And he could've sworn maybe even a flush of purple to darken his cheeks. But that could've been the darkness and lighting playing tricks on his eyes.

"So you've learned our language quite well, I'm surprised, even though I feel I shouldn't be. After all, your prowess in a fight is quite exceptional, there should be no surprise your intellect is as well."

Lance smiled at the compliment, noticing how the prince's cat like ears lifted upwards.

 _"You're not like the other prisoners we have aboard."_ He said slowly, his words drawing a bit at the end.

 _"What exactly do you mean your highness?"_ Lance asked, turning serious.

The prince watched as the Champions face went from a playful grin to innocent curiosity, wondering how in the universe someone like him could still attain a look like that while being here as a prisoner for as long as he had.

 _"Any other prisoner would spit in my face if a horrible death didn't await them, some would even kill me if given the chance, yet you greet me with smiles like some court fool."_ He said, golden eyes looking to the other male to gauge his reaction.

He was more than surprised when the Champion laughed, wide grin showing off white teeth.

 _"From what I hear the Galran Empire has been around for ten thousand years, started by Emperor Zarkon, so I'm pretty sure you had little to no control of what he did and is currently doing. Besides, why get on the bad side of such a cute Prince?"_ The Champion said, voice getting flirtatious near the end.

To his surprise the Prince just laughed, something small and light, yet it caused a certain warmth to encompass his chest, bringing back memories of warm spring days and the smell of the ocean. Memories of a home far away and more than likely long gone and forgotten.

_"You truly are something different Champion."_

_"The name's Lance, your highness."_

_"Drop the formalities when we're alone...Lance, I'm not the Emperor, my father is, and I'm not my father, so refer to me as Keith if you plan on answering to me for future reference."_ Keith said, dark purple bangs brushing into his eyes as he turned to leave the med bay.

 _"So, safe to say we'll be talking in the future then your highness?"_ Lance called, leaning back against the med bay bed.

 _"Of course, what type of prince would I be if I didn't pay a visit to the Empire's Champion every once in awhile."_ The prince called over his shoulder, steps light and soft as he walked back to his quarters before the druids or his father could wonder about his whereabouts.

Lance grinned.

 

That was a year ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end of the confusing time sequence, I'm sorry if anyone was ever confused.


	4. Soft as a Whisper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pleasantries like so aren't meant for the public eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone has any ideas on what could happen next please for the love of the universe enlighten me, I wrote this fic on a whim with no actual plot in mind send help.

He scoffed as he watched the fight below, the crowds going wild at the two fighters in the arena. They had such poor taste for entertainment these days.

He heard a small sound of amusement from the one sitting next to his standing form, ever vigilant.

 _"As if you were any better your first time in the arena."_ They murmured under their breath, a small smile sneaking onto their face, pupiless gold eyes focused on the fight below, but their attention solely on the person standing guard next to him.

_"I must have have been somewhat impressive to catch the eyes of a certain prince now wasn't I?"_

The prince snuck a glance towards the taller, whose face was hidden behind the helmet they wore.

_"You caught a lot more than just my eye that's for sure."_

_"I'm flattered."_

_"You should be, I don't divvy out compliments to just anyone."_

Keith repressed a small smile, knowing somewhere under that helm Lance was more than likely grinning. Showing all teeth, dimples pronounced on his cheeks.

He focused his attention on the fight below, watching as one of their newest prisoners fought the current Champion of the arena; a huge brute that had won nearly every fight that he was challenged. His current opponent seemed to be human, like Lance. Tall and dark haired, hair cropped short all around except for a small tuft in the front.

From what he could see he showed promise, but he wasn't going to hold his breath on him. He was considerably smaller than the other, and armed with only a sword? There was no way he'd last another tick.

Lance pulled his gaze from the fight, setting his sights on the prince. Who watched the fight with disinterest. Long since bored of them since his Champion was pulled from the fights and to his side.

 _"Your staring."_ the prince muttered, ears flicking towards him in annoyance. Although there was no real heat in the gesture or his tone.

 _"How can you tell?"_ Lance's helm was tinted pitch black to those who viewed him with it on, even the best druids couldn't magic their way to see upon his face, his whole suit specially designed and crafted to keep his identity and species a secret. A safety precaution for the prince's sake in case the enemy sought to get to him in order to get close to the prince.

_"You always get quiet when you look at me, it's unnerving."_

_"Am I not allowed to look at what I'm in charge of protecting?"_

From below the sounds of a large body thudding to the ground and cheering of the crowd signaled a new Champion. Prince Keith spared the winner a glance, meeting dark eyes that seemed to hold every ounce of hatred he could possibly possess.

Keith looked away, bored and tired, with a headache on top of it all from the noise of the crowd. He stood up, leaving the box with Lance in tow walking beside him.

The walk to his quarters was quiet, his ears were flattened against his head, the only sign of any hurt or irritation was the slight twitch in his brows and clenching of the jaw.

Lance made sure to lock the door behind him once it slid shut. His fingers lifted from the door pad as he turned to look at the prince, who was draped over his bed, the silk sheets grasped into his clenched hands, ripping holes in the delicate fabric.

The prince had his eyes shut, ears flattened as he curled up on the bed, wrapping himself over with his robes and blankets, ears twitching in irritation as a low growl sounded from his chest.

Lance walked over, steps light and soft as he crossed the room, taking off his helmet along the way.

Keith turned over as the weight on the bed shifted, leaning towards the cool hand placed on his forehead, soft purrs growing louder in the silent room. Lance, much to Keith's chagrin pulled his hand away, moving to get the medicinal cream from a nearby drawer.

Keith's nose wrinkled at the smell as Lance opened the container, he turned his head away from it his full intention to not have that put anywhere near him.

_"Keith come on."_

_"I'm not putting that shit on me."_

_"Okay first of all, watch your mouth, I can't believe I let you kiss me with that mouth, and second this will help with your headaches you know this. Just let me put the damn medicine on your forehead."_ Lance said exasperated. Keith did this every time.

"You can't smell that stuff like I can Lance it's disgusting." Keith answered, his voice muffled since his face was buried in soft silk sheets.

Key looked at the container of cream in his hand, his face morphing into one of disgust as he caught a whiff of the scent. "I don't think you even need a nose to smell this stuff."

Keith hummed, curling up even more on the sheet, brushing a purple cheek over his pillow.

 _"You're acting like a kit Keith, just put the medicine on so I don't have to deal with your grumpy ass in the morning."_ Lance said teasingly, grinning when Keith turned over, hair mussed up just right and eyes set in a glare. But nonetheless he looked as soft as a whisper, the dim purple lighting allowing his eyelashes to cause small shadows to play across his cheeks. His ears were a bit more relaxed against his hair, moving ever so gently against the pillow.

 _"What do I get for for my troubles then?"_ He asked, voice barely a whisper, causing Lance's spine to tingle as a clawed hand came up to drag sharp claws idly against the collar of his armor, tracing the indents that glowed at the neck of it.

 _"What do you want then?"_ Lance said, voice low, blue eyes looking into golden ones with a look that left Keith breathless.

 _"How about a kiss or two, if you're willing of course?"_ Keith whispered, wondering when Lance's arms had now bracketed his head, his face a lot closer than it had been.

_"When am I not?"_

His breath ghosted over Keith's lips, so close yet not close enough. All he had to do was lift up a little- Lance pulled away, causing Keith to freeze for a split tick before a pout settled on his face. Which only lasted another few ticks before disgust settled over as he watched Lance scoop some medicinal cream in his fingers, looking at Keith with a 'come on, it's not that bad, just get it over with' look.

 _"The things I do for you."_ Keith said relenting, sitting up to help assist Lance as the other male slathered the cream on his forehead, after pinning his bangs back to keep the hair out of the way.

 _"The things I do for you."_ Lance murmured, causing an uneasy silence to fall over the room. At least to Keith it was uneasy, seeing as how Lance came into service in the first place the phrase 'the things I do for you' held a lot more weight, especially since he knew blood would forever stain the human's hands because of him.

He was pulled from his thoughts when soft lips met his, golden eyes fluttered closed with blue ones, lips pressing ever so gently against each other.

Keith sighed as they separated, leaning his face into the hand that now cradled it, eyes opened but not quite looking at Lance.

A thumb rubbed gently against his cheek, and Keith looked up into bright blue eyes as Lance leaned in until their foreheads touched.

And right then and there Keith knew, that no matter what he'd get this boy with the very stars in his eyes back home.

Because here, doing what he did, protecting Keith knew this wasn't it.

No matter how much he tried to convince himself that this beautiful boy found a home next to his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance's Suit - http://klancept.tumblr.com/post/161150191282/lances-suit-design-from-to-see-blue-skies-au


	5. He's Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your world will burn someday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, I have like seven other fics to keep track of.

Over the course of a feeb a lot had happened that threw the Empire into a spiral of chaos.

Their Champion had escaped and in his absence Voltron had risen against the empire, or at least pieces of it, only three lions were present yet they still managed to cause quite the noise, and the destruction from those waves had put them all on high alert.

The prince thought nothing of it, as far as he was concerned this had nothing to do with him and was going to be his father's undoing.

The halls were deserted, most of the soldiers on board at the arena to watch the fights.

Keith was walking through the desolate hallways towards the interior gardens, Lance following at his side.

The gardens were spacious, a thick glass ceiling letting in the starlight. Most of the plants themselves glowed bright enough to give the room enough light on its own. Pretty glowing flowers hung from vines attached to tall trees, the leaves of the trees in various hues of purple and blue, the near black bark riddled with glowing blue veins pulsing with life.

The tall grasses around the trees were a darkened pink, the soft blue light rendered the color of the grass a deep purple. A small pond was located aligned in the center but near the back of the vast garden.

Inside of the dark waters were shimmers of silver scales, the glowing light from lily pad like plants playing with the reflexive colors that flashed and flickered as the creatures swimming in the water moved.

Keith sat down at the water's edge, sharp fins cutting through the water as the fish...or what looked like fish swam closer, recognizing the figure instantly.

Keith took a large chunk of bread, or a baked substitute similar to it, from inside his robes, breaking off little chunks and throwing them into the water. He smiled as multiple glowing sets of eyes tracked his movements, zoning in on the crumbs and racing to eat at it before it was gone, the water churning with movement.

Lance stood to the side, ever watchful and alert. He was silent as Keith fed the "fish", not even flinching when Keith held up a chunk for him to take.

Lance shifted his blaster to his other arm and with his free hand he grabbed at the chunk, tearing off small pieces and throwing them into the water, Keith holding the offered piece until no more was left.

Keith settled back down, hands in his lap, gripping onto the silk cloth of his robes as he looked out over the water. His gold eyes were empty yet thoughtful, flicking from spot to spot as silver fins broke through the water only to disappear back into the dark depths once more.

It was peaceful and quiet, a great difference from the hustle and bustle he usually had to face. It was nice to just stop and be still for once and since this was as close to outside as he would ever get-considering he wasn't allowed to leave the ship whenever they docked to replenish any fuel and diminished stocks- it was someplace special to him. His own little world that he had all to himself...and one other.

His ears flickered as the hiss of a door sounded and before he could blink Lance stepped to the side, positioning himself right behind the prince in a protective stance, facing the threat with his gun raised at the intruder. No one was permitted in this garden, not since the prince's mother's passing. Even Zarkon stayed clear of this area unless it was extremely important, not like he bothered with Keith in the first place.

It was one of Haggar's lower level druids, their name forgotten amidst the hundreds of other names heard by Lance over the course of a day. And it wasn't like her druids spoke much anyway, always silent and standing somewhere ominously.

"I apologize for the interruption my prince but there is currently a fleet of rebel ships approaching. And I was informed that it is with utmost urgency that you are escorted into an escape pod immediately."

He lowered his weapon back down against his side, eyes ever watching the druid as Keith sighed and stood up, Lance following beside him as he allowed the druid to lead them away.

The sounds of explosions and gunfire rang out through the ship as the rebels made contact. At this point nothing bothered Keith anymore, these attacks happened so often he could care less what happened to his father or his ships at this point.

His large ears flickered forward to catch all the sounds and as a large explosions rocked the ship Keith couldn't help but lean just a little bit into Lance's space as they walked, movements a bit more rushed as they continued on. Soldiers ran past them to reach their stations, the druid stopping a few to guards and motioning them over to the prince as they escorted him.

Keith scoffed, as if they would be necessary with Lance around. And the quick glances he made from from face to face confirmed that they thought the same. Every soldier knew of the ex champion turned Prince's personal guard and the high reputation he held within the empire's ranks. Even high ranking commanders turned an eye when he was present, unwilling to provoke any action that would see them dead.

Another explosion rocked the ship so bad it took Keith off balance, forcing him to grip Lance's bicep in an attempt to stay upright.

They hurried along, slowing to an abrupt halt as hooded figures blocked their current path.

A sweep of the hand and the druid dispatched of them swiftly, soldiers scouting ahead to clear the area of any more that could be lurking in the shadows.

Lance tensed, readying himself as he raised his gun, eyes scanning the area for any possible threats.

They continued on, the druid dispatching any rebels that came though to get at the prince.

A larger explosion sent them all to their feet, the smell of burning fuel and melting metal hung in the air, the metallic scent burning in Keith's nostrils.

"Prince Keith we must hurry and get you-" The druids voice cut off at a gurgle and a glance over had Keith seeing the druid, back arched with a blade through their chest.

The rebel that held the blade threw the druid's body to the side, slipping sickly off the gleaming blade fresh with blood and sick sounds as more rebels appeared at his side.

The Galra soldiers engaged in combat and before they could see the outcome of the battle Lance grabbed Keith and led him down another hall, taking down anyone that got in their way in the process, blaster heavy in his hand and grip tight as he pulled Keith along.

Keith followed, having no problem keeping up with Lance as they ran through hallway after hallway, steps barely heard over the blaring alarms, explosions, and gunfire that plagued the air.

A quick glance over Keith's shoulder showed the rebel soldiers chasing after them. Honestly he had to give them credit for lasting this long, with the ship pretty much burning around them the further they traveled. He faced forwards again as they turned a corner and into the ship's bay area, stopping to a halt as they sighted more rebels up ahead. Apparently they planned in advance.

Wonderful.

Lance took his position in front of the prince, stance ready and waiting. Keith stood at his back, hands up and ready for a fight. He might've been a "spoiled" prince but that didn't mean he was defenseless. After all, there was a reason Lance was at his side and not behind him.

There was silence for a few moments, a space in between time itself where everything was heightened in detail and sound.

Then the moment passed.

The rebels all ran at them at once, Lance dispatched three in quick succession with his blaster. Keith making work of two more when they got close enough, making sure none got an opening for Lance's back.

They held them off for a good amount of time, until a whistling sound flew through the air past lance's face. Keith fell to the floor with a scream, electric shocks flashing through his body as he fell still. Lance couldn't even move to help before another projectile hit him slam in his chest, electric currents in high volts rushing through him. He fell to the ground on his side, vision spotty and fading with each blink.

His hearing was muffled, a ringing in his ear as the ship burned around him, his eyes half lidded as he watch Keith get dragged onto one of the ship's with the rebels.


	6. Wake With a Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only reason I got the motivation to update this was because someone commented really enthusiastically on each chapter and gave me some really cool ideas and great feedback. They know who they are and I appreciate it ALOT!
> 
> Anyways get ready for new characters being introduced next chapter, I'm really excited about it tbh.

The first thing that registered in Lance's mind was the ringing in his ears that seemed to echo through his skull, piercing, loud, and causing him to wince as a headache made itself known, pounding through his head and hurting his eyes. His muscles felt tired, like he had been tense for hours. The smell of smoke and burning embers choked him, eyes watering from the intensely heated air when he tried to open them.

He vaguely registered that someone was pulling him to his feet, his arm placed over broad shoulders to brace him as he stood up. In another tick he was being half dragged and half carried to one of the prisoner carrier ships. He was placed carefully by the bay doors as whoever it was that carried him left him leaned up against a crate of cargo supplies.

He heard the footsteps of the person fade the farther away they went and within a few moments the ship came to life, its engines humming like new.

Lance winced and grabbed at his side as the whole ship lurched forward, gritting his teeth in pain as the movements from his jarring aggravated his injuries. Whoever this was needed a few more piloting lessons. Then again the larger ship that they were in was burning into nothing so he could probably let the pilot error slide. For now.

He waited until the ship steadied, flight becoming more stable before he tried to get up, standing on shaky legs and holding the hand not clutching at his side to the wall to help balance him. With careful steps he walked up from the cargo bay, making the seemingly long journey towards the cockpit. He had to stop every few steps to calm the waves of dizziness that would plague him every few ticks.

He passed the prison cells and at a glance he noticed they were occupied by the rebels he and Keith had promptly made quick work of, or at least a few of them. The others were probably dead by now, if the flames didn't get them the vacuum of space would soon enough. As he ventured farther he heard two voices conversing in hushed tones, but his head was too muddled to make out the words.

He continued on until he made it to the cockpit, pausing in the doorway to catch his breath. From here he could hear the conversation clearly, both figures hadn't noticed him as of yet and he used that to his advantage.

The voices stopped as whoever they were saw him and he was approached by a figure slowly, their arms held out towards him in a placating manner. "Uh Va'li sir, you should probably get patched up properly before you start walking around like this. I apologize for leaving you in the cargo bay but it was imperative we get the ship out of possible blast radius."

The voice was undoubtedly male and a soldier, seeing how he used his title, albeit quite nervously. Apparently he was more or less a living legend among the soldiers, Keith's words not his, and his prowess in battle and skills with his weapons added to the rumors floating through the soldier's barracks.

"Make a course for the nearest fleet ship, the prince has been captured by rebel forces and his return is first priority. Failure or any diversion from the set objective will not be tolerated understood?"

"Of course Va'li, I'll see to it we get to our destination as soon as possible. Would you like any assistance with your wounds?"

Lance waved his hand in the air, brushing off the offer of help, no one knew what he was and it was better to take precautions that no one found out he was human. For his safety and the prince's. "No I'll tend to them myself, just make sure we get out of here alive." Lance gritted out, the pain of his injuries making themselves known as the adrenaline from earlier wore off. His ribs ached and the spot where the stun arrow had hit was aggravated and felt...feathered. like bits of skin were sliding against each other separately instead of as one and it was starting to burn.

The soldier nodded, voicing his confirmation before leaving to assist the pilot and relay his orders over to them.

While they were turned away Lance pushed off room the doorway, forcing his feet to carry him down to the ship's medic room.

Tools and aids of every kind met his eyes as he entered the sterile room, slamming a hand on the door pad to close and lock it behind him. He shuffled his feet to the surgical table, grabbing bandages and the alien equivalent of antiseptic in his hands. With careful movements he hiked himself up to sit on it, wincing when it pulled on his injuries.

With shaking hands he lifted a hand towards his helmet, careful fingers tracing along the lip of the helmet before the pads on his covered fingers caught onto the small splay of button pads. The automatic DNA sequencing programmed into the suit allowed him to remove the helmet with ease, the small vents along the edges hissing out air heated prior by his own body heat.

He shivered as he placed the helmet down beside him, taking in a breath of fresh air and shivering as the cold air hit the sweat on his skin, causing goose bumps to break out all over him. Taking off the rest of his armor from the waist up was relatively easy, muscle memory letting him complete the task in a few ticks. Lance paused when he got to the under portion of the suit, bracing himself for the pain he was going to be in now and a lot later.

Careful fingers now uncovered peeled back the suit from his abdomen and he sucked in a breath as it pulled at skin at his side. Taking a moment to breathe and recover himself he spared a glance at his wound.

Bits of skin were charred and festered, blood both fresh and dried covered it and the rest of the wound stretched along his side in vein like markings. Just another scar to add to the list of one's littered all over his body. Proof of his title as Champion was earned, not given and the scars on his skin was proof of that.

Lance took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he prepared himself. It was better to get this over with than to wait it out. Besides, he couldn't afford to sit and wait, Keith needed him and he wasn't about to sit and do nothing.

His hand covered with the antiseptic gel hovered just above the wound, he took a final breath before he pressed it against his side, gritting his teeth as the pain intensified from mild burning to an inferno of his nerves on end, like someone was shocking him all over again.

It felt like hours went by but in reality only a few doboshes had passed. When he finally found it in him to open his eyes and relax he found that his free hand, which had been clutching the surgical table under him, was sore and the part of the table he held was warped and bent from his hardened grip on the thin metal.

He ignored that little detail in favor of dressing his wounds and checking for any other injuries that might be present. Aside from the headache which had dulled some there wasn't anything else he could find wrong.

The ship lurched again and he guessed they had finally arrived on another of the major war ships. He quickly redressed into his armor, his helmet the last piece secured and stuck on, standing up to make his way to the cockpit. He unlocked an opened the door just as the soldier was about to knock. This one, a female he noted, stood with her hand frozen in the air for a moment before she saluted him. Stuttering over her words a bit she spoke. "We've arrived at o-one of the nearest fleet ships y-your Va'li." She stammered out. He nodded and motioned her aside, the taller female moving to let him through and follow him a few paces behind as he briskly walked.

"Do you know who commands the ship?" He asked her, the soldier startling for a moment, as if she couldn't believe he was actually talking to her.

"Uh-um I believe Commander Roak is in command of this specific ship your Va'li." She stammered out, nearly bumping into him but catching herself early as he stopped just beyond the doorway in the cockpit where the Galran male was currently landing the ship in the docking bay.

Commander Roak, which meant the lieutenant would be...

Excellent.

If he played his cards right he could make this work.

***

The sound of a wet cough resounded through the room, blood splatters littering the floor as Keith continued to cough up blood. The rebels surrounding him watched and waited, for his answer or the leader's next orders he couldn't tell. Then again he could barely tell what was pained and what was numb as far as his body was concerned.

"You tell us what we need to know and we'll consider letting you live. Though taking into account who you are that's a slim chance. Although we could just get a ransom in return, after all you would be a wonderful bargaining chip against Zarkon. No doubt he's looking for his precious little boy already hm?" The leader said, their hood and wraps hiding their face and only slightly muffling their words.

Keith was kneeled on the ground, head bowed down and arms tied behind his back, so when he finally looked up his bangs were brushed into his eyes. The gold yellow of his eyes glowed slightly in the little light that was present, and his ears twitched at every sound, whether it was someone shuffling or coughing quietly it didn't matter, he picked up on all of it. Especially the sound of their heartbeats racing when he started to laugh, small chuckles at first until it blew out of proportion into full blown laughter. The rebels were all uneasy, hands itching towards their weapons nervously.

The prince only calmed down after he had endured a coughing fit, more blood splattering against the floor as he fell silent.

"Oh please, on his list of priorities I'm far from first. My father will put up a facade of concern but he won't actually care if I'm found or not, you have nothing against him. I'm practically useless. And even if I was it's not Zarkon you have to worry about you fools. You have no idea what you've just put into play. And I hope to the goddess you earn yourselves a quick death. Because whatever Zarkon would've had in store for is a kit's game compared to what he'll do." A sharp pain spread across his cheek and mouth, head snapping to the side and falling forward on his elbows as a gear clad foot met his face.

"And who exactly is coming?" The leader asked, motioning the subordinate that had kicked the Galra away.

Keith smiled, unseen to the rebels surrounding him. "It doesn't matter, you'll find out soon enough."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all kudos and comments given! And hope to churn out more chapters in the near future!


	7. No More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new knight will take the place of a moronic king.
> 
> A mother's compassion in never ending, even in periods of great despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are really awesome and all your comments was pretty much the reason I cranked out another chapter about 2k in words the same day as the last one so whoops and hollers to you!

There was a murmur among the ranks, the soldiers stirring with whispered rumors of the ship that had just docked in the bay.

Word traveled fast apparently, no surprise there though. Although she was curious, especially since word that the Va'li was aboard the small vessel, escaping from the burning inferno that was now one of the main ships in Zarkon's fleet.

Her large ears twitched as she used deft fingers to type in a few commands in one of the auxiliary computer's, pulling up the camera feed for the docking bay in a little more of a private setting. At least more private than pulling it up on the main screen.

Her eyes scanned the screens, and unless you were specifically looking for it you wouldn't see the small quirk of the corner of her lips going upwards in a vague semblance of a smile. A rare sight to behold, a myth among the soldier's barracks.

Ignoring the soldier's talk and rumors she turned towards Commander Roak, sizing him up before finding the place to speak.

"Commander, it seems we have the honor of having the Va'li come aboard our ship, should I greet them?" She asked, already knowing the answer before he even opened his trap.

"The Va'li? Here? You greet him? Of course not, you barely speak as it is. The Va'li has no time for a shy wench like you. How you even got promoted to lieutenant is beyond me." He said, "You there! Soldier! Go to the Va'li and escort them to the bridge, I would like to know exactly why they're here and without the prince no less."

"Sir the prince was-"

"Did I ask you to speak?" Commander Roak directed at her, eyes glaring at the lieutenant with a dark aura at being talked back to. As far as he was concerned she should only speak when spoken to. Like a kit.

"No sir, my apologies commander." She spoke quietly, fists clenched to her sides as she focused her eyes on the ground, ears rigid and buzzing with the quiet that befell the bridge as the soldiers remained hushed.

"That's what I thought, now look over the data packets sent from headquarters, our orders are still the same but we need new trade routes to resupply ourselves with weapons and resources for the empire."

"Of course sir, I'll start on that right away."

"See to it that you do wench." He spat, turning to review the information on the main screen.

Oh how she loathed him.

That was okay though, she could get through this, besides he'd get his dues soon enough.

Only a few more doboshes if she was lucky.

***

Lance was greeted by a soldier as he exited the ship, standing tall even with the pain he was in. It would do no good to show weakness here.

Him and the two soldiers that had rescued him were escorted to the bridge. His eyes immediately sought out the lieutenant, who was faced towards an auxiliary computer, her back towards him. He gave no indication he was looking anywhere near her though, instead turning his attention towards the commander who stood tall and stiff.

"Welcome your Va'li, what brings you here if you don't mind me asking?" Roak asked, voice sickeningly polite.

"Your ship will need to be commandeered, the prince was captured by rebels and I refuse to fail again, so until the prince's safe return I will need the soldiers and resources present to accomplish my goal." Lance said, scanning over the small words of language that flickered over his helmets visor, in coming messages and reports from nearby ships scanning through for only his eyes to see.

"I'm afraid I can't do that your Va'li, I was given explicit orders from Zarkon on what my task is and you don't fit into that. I do hope you understand, I mean no disrespect." Roak explained.

Lance clenched his fists, acutely aware that it was now dead silent in the room, even the lieutenant had paused in her readings, an ear quirked towards them in order to hear better.

"And mean no disrespect when I say I took an oath to Zarkon to protect the prince and if he were to go missing or captured I was to use any means necessary to get him back. And I'm sure you know better than anyone that failure isn't an option, and rarely does he give warnings commander." Lance spat, putting a hardened tone on the word commander, said commander by now was glaring at the former champion unbeknownst to him. His claws twitched at his leg, the same leg that had been taken from him the last time he failed. He was one of the lucky ones.

"I'm sorry your Va'li but-"

A blast, a thud, and then silence.

She let her lips form a small, private smile, her fingers pressing against the control panel of the auxiliary keyboard in a casual fashion. She turned on her heel to face the sight before her, taking pleasure in seeing her former commander's brains blown out, his body laying face down at the Va'li's feet. Someone would have to clean that up later, thankfully not her.

She watched him put away his pistol, the weapon dematerializing into the disc on his hip, which glowed a harsh pink as it turned on. The soldiers that were watching stayed silent, the action too quick to take action too.

With a sigh she walked up to face him, face stone cold as she regarded him.

"Is there anything you need your Va'li? The resources and soldiers on this ship including myself are at your disposal." She said, bowing down lightly as she looked towards the ground. Her monotone voice hid her emotions well, but Lance was familiar enough with her to read her like an open book and took her words as those of happiness. After all, she'd been complaining about the buffoon for ages.

Lance looked up at her as he responded, the Galra woman at least a foot and a half taller than him yet held her body in one of respect for him, which she had assured him in her own discreet ways that he had rightfully earned it from her.

"I'll need maps of the surrounding system showing any planet not under Galran control or those planets with Galran bases that have been abandoned, the rebels will have made their place of refuge on at least one of those planets. And I'll need ships and soldiers ready from a full assault if we locate one with the prince in their location. Understood Commander Ai'Rita?"

Oh how she liked the sound of that title in front of her name.

"Of course your Va'li. Clear as a Norrevvan crystal."

***

Keith winced as one of his teeth pressed too hard against the inside of his cheek. Blood coated his mouth and all he taste and smell was metallic. The left side of his face felt sore and he was sure he was still bleeding from the most recent head wound on his temple. That one he had gotten from a guard that came too close, trying to take the thin strip of a woven choker from around his neck. He had bitten the guard's wrist, deeply but that didn't deter the damn rebel from ripping it from his neck in one go, the fiber snapping as he had pulled it from around the Galran prince's neck.

Lance had made it for him on his first birthday with the prince, and since then he had treasured it, hiding it under the collars of his dress, refusing to take it off even for a moment.

Keith laid his head against the cold stone wall of his cell, one ear pressed against the solid structure to try and listen for anything. Unfortunately all he could hear was the sound of rushing water. He sighed, the dried tear tracks on his cheeks making his skin itch. Unfortunately he couldn't scratch it, the rebels hadn't bothered to untie him so he had to sit and suffer.

He had closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again it was to a rebel knocking softly on the cell bars. They were tall, taller than any other others he had seen, and thin too. Scarily thin actually.

"Your name is Keith right?" They asked, even through the wraps on their head he could make out a feminine tone to their voice.

He said nothing however, choosing to look away and ignore them instead.

"Is this yours by any chance?" She asked, holding out her hand. In her long thin fingers only partially covered by bandages was the necklace Lance had made for him. His mood had immediately changed, ears perking up and eyes opening wider than they had been in obvious interest.

"I'll take that as a yes. If I come in to give it to you do you promise not to try and kill me? I hate using force against anyone, and I'd hate to have to restrain you by force but I will do it." She said, voice turning cold at the last part.

Keith nodded and settled down, ears buzzing as he watched her unlock the cell and enter his own little space. She kneeled down a bit in front of him, hands in her lap with the palms up, the small necklace laid across her open palms.

"Would you turn around so I can tie this back on you? You don't have to worry about me trying to kill you, we were ordered to leave you alive, besides you're worth more alive than dead anyway." She muttered, watching the prince cautiously turn around, shoulders stiff and tense that only grew worse when she put her hands near him to tie the necklace back on. He didn't fully relax until it was done and over with and she was back within his sights.

Keith felt a growl come up from his throat as she reached for something behind her. She put up a hand in a comforting gesture, trying to placate the nervous Galra. From her back she retrieved a flask and a small rag.

"Calm down, just let me clean you up a bit and I'll let you have the rest of the water in the flask. I'm pretty sure you don't want to be down here as filthy as you are, they did retrieve you from a burning ship." She remarked, waiting patiently until he nodded small and quick for her to continue.

She poured some water over the rag, wetting it thoroughly before she dabbed it lightly at his dirt covered cheeks.

Even if he didn't trust her he had to admit it felt nice to not have an itch pestering his face for once since he was put in here. She finished with cleaning his face, ignoring his wincing as she cleaned at the wound on his temple, removing the dried blood from his fur as best she could.

When she cleaned it as best as she could she put away the dirty rag and lifted the flask to his lips, letting him drink his fill until every drop was drained before she capped it, making a mental note to refill it later.

She stood up after, turning to leave him be. At least until he spoke up.

"Why would you help me? Shouldn't you hate me?" He asked quietly watching her for a reaction.

She paused at the fell door as she closed and locked it back up, head tilted to the side as she thought about her answer.

"You're a child, you shouldn't be held responsible for your father's actions. If the others were perceptive enough to realize you hold no say or power in the Empire's dealings you wouldn't be here. But they don't, they are angry and mournful over their losses caused by your father's reign. There is no reasoning with the angered and mournful. So you were taken as a last resort. For that I apologize, for I can't do anything to free you. But I won't let them kill you, I refuse." She explained, pushing off the bars to leave.

"Wait! Why?" Keith asked desperately, lunging forward against the bars to hear her if she decided to speak. Luckily she did.

"I've lost three children, two dead and one I still hope lives on. I won't let anymore children die in this wretched war we fight, whether they are friend or foe." She said finally, leaving Keith in the dim darkness alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ai'Rita - http://klancept.tumblr.com/post/161150191282/lances-suit-design-from-to-see-blue-skies-au


	8. Your Knight Draws Near, Sweet Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Found you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so we're about to go crabbing so I'm posting this now, but anyways enjoy this and a leading up to introduction of a new character.

The ship was a buzz with activity, soldiers running to and fro from different parts of the ship to carry out their orders by their newly appointed commander. They had found out soon enough that she meant business, and was a lot harsher in her punishments than the last, yet rewarded good work fairly. After all, running a ship was no walk in the park and she was determined to run this ship more efficiently than her predecessor.

And by far even within the first few vargas there was a change in the ship's overall energy and performance, something Lance noticed right off the bat.

He had hung back from the hustle and bustle that had claimed the air of the bridge, soldiers bypassing him with hurried salutes, others tripping over their feet as they came close to him, not believing it was Va'li aboard the ship in their very presence. Most moving to their small groups that stood off to the side awaiting orders and whispering in hushed tones to each other like gossiping Gadrupes.

Lance ignored them, arms crossed and foot hitched up on the wall behind him as he stood there thinking. Brushing a finger against a padded button on the wrist of his suit he muted his mic. "Scan for any recent reports on sightings of rebel ships in the Quantaine system within the last thirty vargas." Lance said calmly, eyes scanning over the information brought forth. The visor in his helmet lit up with the Galran language, blues eyes rendering a pink purple as he looked over the small blips on the map that stood for a rebel ship sighted in the last quintant.

The blips were more or less scattered across the system and he had to give it to the rebels, they were smart. Smart enough to scatter to different rendezvous points instead of meeting all at one spot and therefore drawing attention to themselves.

"Remove any blips related to sightings seen prior to the destruction of one of the main ships in Zarkon's fleet."

Half of he blips were abruptly removed, more information scanning through the sides.

"They wouldn't use planets with an abandoned Galra base, too risky, and we have connections to the base we can easily access here. Remove any planets previously abandoned by the Galran empire, abandoned posts as well."

Twenty blips were left and he was about to continue his search until be was alerted to a presence just in front of him. Someone wanted to speak with him.

Ai'Rita.

He swiped the button on his wrist again, turning on the mic this time as he set his search aside to be put on hold.

"Yes?"

"Excuse me for interrupting your Va'li but I was wondering if we could have a word in private?" She asked quietly, just loud enough for him to here. He nodded and pushed himself off from the wall to follow her, steps every paced with hers. Hushed whispers followed them and he could only imagine the rumors spilling across loose lips that couldn't shut.

It was a few more ticks before they made it to the commander's quarters, Ai'Rita shutting and locking the door behind her.

The room was messy and still furnished with the previous owner's furnishings. Something that wouldn't last if Ai'Rita had her way, which judging by how she ran her ship wouldn't be too long. He'd give it a dobosh at most.

She walked to the desk that stood in the middle of the room, sitting herself down on the cool metal, legs crossing one over the other as she leaned back to look at the Va'li with a critical eye. No matter if they were friends or not he was not free from her judgement. She made that plenty known many times before, this was no different.

"Tell me Lance, how does one lose hold of the very thing they were sworn to protect?" She questioned, words ending in a bit of a drawl as she looked at him.

"You and I both know I don't lose things, especially when it concerns him." His fists laid at his sides, clenched with the claws from the suit digging into his palms.

"Oh I know, believe me I know, so what is the story then? The reports only say so much." She asked carefully. She may have been a newly appointed commander and the toughest lieutenant to have ever been in combat under Zarkon's forces but she wasn't about to tread in delicate territory. The fact that she had even asked what she had was risky in itself. She'd seen him fight, she knew what he was capable of, and consequently knew that she would be gravely out matched.

"The rebels somehow boarded the ship and we were being escorted to the escape pods. We made it to the cargo bay which is when they decided to ambush us. We held them off for awhile until they got us with shock arrows or something similar to that. The only reason I'm here alive is because of the two soldiers that came with me when we boarded." Lance finished, gauging Ai'Rita's reaction.

Her face was impassive, lips pursed as she processed what she had just been told, deep in thought. She leaned back on her arms, finally taking a moment to look at him, seemingly coming to a conclusion of sorts.

"You did what you could at the very moment you were given, so I conclude your actions are somewhat reasonable." She finally answered, looking towards him.

"Besides, it's not as if Zarkon would kill you anyways, you're much more valuable alive than dead. Plus with the fabled Va'li under his thumb, someone of high rank only heard of your a legend among the populace under his reign. A myth to the ones farther out...no he wouldn't kill you." Ai'Rita concluded, something of an almost smile passing her lips. She's smiled more times today than anytime her whole life. Then again this day was just full of surprises.

Before they could continue the conversation further a rush of hurried beeps played from Lance's suit and right after frantic knocks on the door sounded out.

Ai'Rita was across the room in the blink of an eye, answering the door with a rush that left the messenger afraid for their life.

"What is the reason for this interruption? She asked coldly, towering over the soldier, her eyes cold and glaring.

The soldier was pretty much quaking at her intense and foreboding stare but answered nonetheless. "I deeply apologize for interrupting commander, but there is an urgent message for you from Zarkon himself."

They hadn't even finished before both Commander Ai'Rita and the Va'li were out of the door and walking briskly to the bridge. Whatever it was it had to be important if Zarkon himself had sent it.

They arrived at the bridge in the midst of hushed conversations and murmurs of noise, all of which fell silent when they were noticed. A pin could have dropped and scared everyone if it hit the floor with how silent it was.

Ai'Rita pressed a claw to the control panel, pulling up the transmission, Zarkon's face appearing from the white noise and static, causing the soldiers to stand to attention, chins up and shoulders stiff.

"My lord, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Ai'Rita said respectfully, saluting to her emperor.

"The report I received from this ship relayed that a new commander had been appointed, but I don't seem to remember appointing you myself. Care to explain?" Zarkon asked coldly.

Ai'Rita didn't even flinch, firing off her answer without hesitation, "Commander Roak is no longer able to carry out your orders my lord, so following standard procedure I, lieutenant Ai'Rita promptly took charge to make sure our current orders from you were carried out without delay."

There was a moment of silence before Zarkon spoke up. "I see, other reports have come in that the Va'li was sighted boarding your ship and without the prince."

Lance walked from the shadows into Zarkon's view, standing beside the commander and giving a quick salute.

"My lord."

"Va'li, care to explain why you show your face with my son nowhere near you? You took an oath did you not?" No one could ignore the angry tone that coated his words.

"Of course my lord, and I take my oaths seriously, which is why I came to this ship to use the resources available to me to find the prince and bring him back. I've commandeered the ship although not without a dispatch of one of your commander's unfortunately when he failed to realize that the oath I made to you was worth more than his blood that now stains the floor."

There was a beat of silence, as if everyone was holding their breath as they waited for an answer.

"Very well, continue your search for my son, I'll be expecting periodical reports every twelve vargas of your progress." Zarkon finally said, signing off as a chorus of Vrepit sas went around the room.

The soldiers all relaxed, shoulders lowering from their tense position, only to startle when their commander spoke.

"You heard our emperor! The prince is missing and we must pour all the resources we have into finding him and destroying the ones who took our empire's heir!" She barked out, soldiers scrambling to finish out their duties. None were too keen on getting on her bad side.

Ai'Rita looked out over the bridge as it came alive once more, soldiers bustling from place to place to complete their tasks and check reports. With a satisfactory nod she stood up straight, hands held loosely behind her back.

One of her large ears twitched to a sound and she looked to her right to see Lance at the main computer control panel, fingers flying across the keys as he typed.

It was a few ticks before the main screen buzzed to life, the giant screen showing a transmission trying to go through. A few more ticks and the picture appeared, getting cleared as the signal came through stronger the more he worked to adjust the readings.

Finally the static fully cleared and the audio came in clear as day, a cacophony of sqwalling animal sounds filtering through, along with a string of curses.

"Oh by the emperor's armor why won't you just move, it's not that hard! Honestly all you do is eat anyways!" A voice said, a flurry of motion running past the transmissions view.

Lance coughed to get their attention.

"Now look what you did! Almost made me miss a call!" They huffed, coming into view of the transmission's viewpoint.

A mess of pale blonde hair filled the screen before it was pushed aside, revealing a scarred face of dark purple skin. The scars were scrawled over their eyes, leaving the left eye a milky white while the other remained gold.

"Ah Lieutenant Ai'Rita, to what do I owe the pleasure?" They said, smiling white and showing off rows of sharp points of teeth.

"It's Commander Ai'Rita now Norvex and it was not I who requested your attention." Ai'Rita remarked, glancing over at Lance as he stood watching the screen in front of him.

Norvex turned his head to the side, smile getting wilder when he spotted the Va'li next to her.

"Well, this is a nice surprise! Altbough I feel like I should have expected this, seeing as how the prince was captured and all. What can I do for you your Va'li?" Norvyx said, waiting patiently for an answer.

"The ship I was on had something of great value to me-"

"Ah yes! Ana you mean? She's fine she's fine, soldiers sent her over right before the whole ship burned to a crisp, she's feeling a bit of that separation anxiety though, nearly lost my arm trying to feed her today, I think she's missing you terribly so. I already have her being transported to a ship that should take her to your location. Therefore she should be there within a vargas if all goes according to plan." He explained.

Norvex was the lead caretaker of most of the animal species on the ship, scouting out and retrieving new specimens for Haggar's experiments. A former druid himself it just made sense for him to be the one to pick out species specific to Haggar's criteria and area of possible use. He didn't mind the work, and he even got to keep a select few that were safe from Haggar's experiments. He was also in charge of taking care of the Va'li's pet. A high honor in his opinion and a lot more rewarding in the long run. The perks of being one of the Va'li's close associates were one and many. And he was determined to stay in the Va'li's good graces.

"Thank you Norvex, that is all."

"Of course your Va'li, I hope to speak with you again soon on better circumstances. Vrepit sa."

"Vrepit sa."

The transmission was cut and the murmur of the soldiers returned in volume to its former bustling bout of noise.

"Va'li?" Ai'Rita said, making sure he was looking at her before voicing her question. "What are your orders? After all this is your mission my liege." She said, watching him carefully.

He nodded, "I've narrowed the search down to twenty possible planets they could have taken him,"-He placed a hand to the control panel, uploading the data straight to the main computer-"All we need to do now is cross check with the most recent reports of rebel activity and locate him then. We'll wait for the ship bringing Ana to arrive before leaving to locate the prince. More than likely they'll be on a forested planet, easier places to hide and take cover, so we'll need the best tracker we can get to locate the prince as quickly and efficiently as possible." He explained, Ai'Rita bellowing out her orders after she spoke, sending a flurry of guards to wait at the bay to greet the arriving ship.

Lance looked up at the map as the reports were cross checked and referenced from recent vargas, anticipation climbing as each blip disappeared one at a time before there was only one left.

Bingo.

 _I'm coming Keith_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Norvex - http://klancept.tumblr.com/post/161293304147/norvex-from-to-see-blue-skies-hes-actually-very


	9. Nearly There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some new characters are introduced

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck at summaries but oh well it's like 9am on a saturday and brain processing power is at .5% so you can't blame me.
> 
> I'll work on putting links throughout the story to art of certain characters and Lance's suit depending on when they were introduced so look out for that,

"Sir the transport vehicle with your package has arrived." Lance looked up from reviewing incoming reports and data. A soldier stood a few feet behind him, shaking nervously from fear or awe he didn't know, didn't care really either as he quickly brushed past them and walked down to the docking bay. There the ship was currently docked, guards lined on either side to greet the passenger.

The main doors to the transport ship opened and from within the sounds of crunching metal, growls, and yells were heard. A few chewed bits were thrown, one piece reaching the tip of Lance's foot, which he kicked away briefly before walking forward. A sharp whistle from his lips halted the sounds of metal tearing and the sounds of thudding steps met his ears.

The guards outside of the ship held their blasters up, some shaking nervously as they focused on the darkened entrance of the ship.

The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard, getting louder the closer they came. And before anyone could react a large body jumped out from the darkness, landing right in front of Lance. The guards were about to shoot when their Va'li held up a hand, making them reluctantly lower their weapons, nervous about such a creature being that close to their superior.

With the same hand Lance reached up to cup the creature's face, having to stretch his arm up for how tall it was. It huffed before whimpering softly, leaning down a bit to help him reach just behind its ear.

"Have you been good to Norvex for me girl?"

"Yup."

"I know you have, you're always a good girl aren't you Ana?" He cooed.

The Yupper whined, licking a stripe of drool over Lance's helmet, the glass of it getting streaked. He just calmly pet her, running both hands down her face in a soothing gesture to get her calm. Stress wasn't good for her after all.

"I can't imagine why you would have this thing here with us and during a sensitive mission no doubt." Ai'Rita said, standing a ways behind the Va'li watching the exchange with a minute tick of her jaw, her brow seemed more angled than usual. If he knew her better he'd say she looked disgusted.

"She's the best tracker we have, if anyone can find the prince quickly it's her." Lance answered, taking a few steps back when Ana bumped her head against Lance's chest, her pointed ears fluttering cutely.

"If you say so, either way we have to begin the attack. We're just above the planet that was specified to have the prince. Your coordinates better be right or else we're just wasting the Empire's resources." Ai'Rita said, following behind the Va'li and his Yupper.

They arrived at the bridge within a few ticks, guards and soldiers alike giving a wide berth for the three, not too keen on being too close to the Va'li's Yupper. Like her owner Ana also had a reputation among the ranks, being an elite tracker and having a short temper on top of that which got volatile at times tended to get people to automatically avoid getting in her way. It never surfaced near her owner however, acting as docile as a pup when she was with him.

The giant of a Yupper sat with a thud at her master's feet, said master currently standing behind the control panel overlooking the main screen, which showed an image of the planet the Empire's prince was held.

"We will attack on your orders my Va'li." Ai'Rita said, glancing down to the side at The Empire's Champion. No one else would ever be able to measure up to the Va'li. Zarkon could declare him a traitor and she would still stand by his side. He was everything the Empire was supposed to be after all.

"Your prince, your ship, your call Ai'Rita." Lance spoke, blue eyes scanning over the information from behind the helmet.

"No, not _my_ prince." She spoke, softly enough for only them to hear. She straightened up immediately after, face cold and expression hard. "We attack in one varga, so get ready now! I want soldiers scouting on the ground for the rebel's base and all soldiers on hand prepare for a full frontal assault with two units flanking the rebels on both sides! We're not going anywhere until the prince is safely returned to the Empire!" She barked out, soldiers scrambling to their stations to obey.

Lance turned on his heels and walked from the bridge, Ana scrambling to follow him as she awoke from her light nap. Ai'Rita stayed where she was. The most important thing she could do now was stay at her post, no matter how bad she wanted to fight by her dear friend's side.

 

Lance made his way back to the docking bay and to the transport.

Entering inside the cockpit he started searching through the interior of the ship, Norvex never sent him packages or cargo without a little present to help him on his mission. Being friends with the kennel master had its perks apparently, especially when he found a note buried under old and unused data pads found in the compartment just under the control panel.

_You didn't think your girl was the only one willing to help you did you?_

_-Norvex_

_Also check the main luggage compartment soon, I don't know fast the air runs out._

Lance dropped the note wherever, a quick scan across the control panel finding him the main luggage button, fingers floating over the buttons before pressing it quickly.

He heard the hiss of a door and three thuds as something obviously fell out and hit the ground. But he was sure luggage didn't groan and spew curses though.

He left the cockpit, walking out and around the back of the transport ship, his eyes landing on three Galran females in a mess of tangled limbs. Two other males still in the compartment, one tall enough that his head hung out over the edge, large ears barely brushing the ground. The second male was laid comfortably on his chest, looking up with sleepy eyes but otherwise unbothered by the small, cramped space they were in prior.

"This is the last time I eat anything Norvex gives me! How many times is he going to do this before he realizes he could just ask us to go wherever? You know like a normal galra?" One of the smaller females said, rolling herself away from the pile, stretching out her sore muscles in the process as she sat with her legs folded under her. She was small for a Galra, unusually so, barely reaching Lance's chin in height. Her ears were small and pointed in two's, looking like the corner or side of a maple leaf. Her hair was braided in rows that stuck to her scalp and flowed freely down her back, which sported three ridges of pointed bone down and on both sides of her spine.

"You couldn't stop yourself from eating his sweets if you actually wanted to try. And this is the fifth time, plus he's an ex druid, you can't expect them to be so open Ruge, now stop complaining and help me up, Norvex might be a bit out of his mind but he doesn't do things without reason." The taller female said, pushing herself off of the third female she had landed on. Her skin was a lot paler than most Galra's, like a lilac flower allowed to bleach in the sun. The top of her head was just a dark mass of bone with pointed almost horns leading towards the back of her head. Some of the bone grew down her neck in broken bits and pieces, looking similar to the cracked ground of a desert without water for months. Some of the bone plates even grew on her cheeks in smaller pieces, adding a harsh overlay to her image at first glance.

"Neevah you're such a grump. You need to lighten up or get some tail. Or maybe getting some tail will lighten you up, in that case do both." Ruge said, pulling the other to her feet.

Neevah quirked her brow, "Are you offering?" She asked, a small, almost there smirk dancing on her lips.

The two males had long since untangled them selves from each other and left the confines of the compartment, proceeding to help the last female, Min'ak, that was still on the ground back up. Which took a bit of work since most of her height came from her limbs. She was tall, taller than Ai'Rita easily by a few feet, although she slouched to accommodate herself into doorways and walkways. Like that her arms were long enough to have her claws dragging along on the ground. She didn't show her face, always wearing a mask similar to lance's own to hide her identity, at least the recognizable part of it.

"Of course not! And don't look at me like that! Looking so sad and pitiful, what you just thought I would give just anyone all of this?"

"Yup."

They all startled, just noticing the Va'li, his Yupper, and a few guards a ways behind watching them curiously.

Lance's Yupper sidled up next to him, tongue lolling as she watched the other Galra with bright eyes.

"Ana that's rude." He murmured, petting her gently with one hand while waving his free hand to the soldiers of his team he had hand picked himself.

He turned and headed for his assigned ship that was still docked, his team following behind loyally as they entered the cockpit.  
"Strap yourselves in, we leave now to scout the ground before the scheduled attack. You know the drill." Lance ordered, sitting in the pilot's seat.

"Yes sir." They said in unison, all except for Min'ak, who didn't say much anyway in the way of words. Most of her sounds coming out in garbled clicks.

There were only three other seats in the ship, Min'ak claiming one immediately. One of the males, Theryk, sat in the seat to the left of her, Neevah claiming the one on her other side. Theryk grinned at the remaining male standing, his teeth gleaming white, sharpened into fine points. His skin was a light purple, mottled by both light and dark splotches that covered his body. Whether they were scars or markings he wouldn't say. But they were all pretty sure Hark knew.

Hark was only a little shorter than Theryk, fitting easily in his lap as the taller eased his arms around his waist in a secure grip.

Hark smiled, using clawed fingers to scratch behind Theryk's large ear in quiet appreciation, said Galra purring loudly as he nuzzled into the other's neck affectionately.

"You two are too quiznackin' cute. Stop it." Ruge said, ignoring Neevah's attempts at getting her to sit in her own lap, opting instead to fit herself in one of the interior compartment spaces of the ship. "Wake me up when we get there." She called from inside, closing the door and shutting herself off from the rest of them.

Neevah sighed, looking bored as the ship started, fingers itching to pull a trigger at this point. Before long they were flying out of the docking bay, headed straight for the planet below.

***

Keith's eyes felt heavy, like lead weights when he tried to open them. Even with the water from earlier his mouth felt dry and his lips were chapped. The wound on his temple had started bleeding a while ago, a trail of blood running down the side of his face that had long since dried out.

Besides the visit from the rebel that had given him water earlier no one else had been down to check on him. He couldn't say he felt bad about it, more or less relieved. He knew there were some that wanted him dead, no matter how valuable he was as a bargaining chip.

A headache pounded mercilessly behind his eyes, causing him to whimper in pain. He closed his eyes against the light, trying to ease some of the discomfort.  
His arms were sore and shaking, muscles burning against the strain that the bindings around his wrists caused.

He had tried to cut through them himself with his own claws but to no avail, whatever material it was made of held up better than he thought.

Keith let out a slow breath, leaning his head back against the wall. He wanted to go _home._

Go back to _Lance._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ana - http://klancept.tumblr.com/post/161151757222/made-a-yupper-just-for-lance-i-have-yet-to
> 
> I'll work on the new Galra's designs soon enough and add them at a later time
> 
> And I might end this at the next chapter but I'm not so sure.
> 
> If I do there's def gonna be a sequel where Voltron comes into play but we shall see


	10. He Grieves Even When Ill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your Knight is coming to your rescue sweet prince, just a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow I updated, expect another chapter soon, I'm feeling oddly motivated to finish this.

"Hey Boss, why exactly are we here?" Neevah said in a curious tone, slouched in her seat and idly circling one of her claws over the arm of the seat.

Lance's eyes scanned over the map and coordinates on the screen, piloting the ship into the planet's atmosphere as smoothly as he could. "What do you mean?"

"Norvex didn't really explain what was going on before we were all stuffed into the transport ship, and any reports coming through to the main ship haven't relayed any disturbances." She explained, looking towards her superior. Typical, they were trying to keep the prince's capture under wraps no doubt. It wouldn't do to let their enemies no matter how few know about instances such as this. Discretion was very much valued, silence a gift.

"The prince was captured about forty eight vargas ago, we've checked off every possible location he could be judging by recent reports of rebel ships sighted after one of the main ships in Fleet Sarconas was destroyed. We're now heading to said location to scout the ground and find where the prince is being held before the commander attacks within the next few vargas." He explained, landing the ship down on the planet's surface in a clearing amidst the large jungle like trees.

"You're joking right?" Ruge said, peeking out from her hiding place in the ship's compartment. Lance gave her a look and even though she couldn't see his face she felt it all the same. She immediately silenced herself and got out, readying her gear for the mission along with everyone else.

While Lance was checking over his weapons a transmission alert appeared in the inside of his visor, a touch of a button against his wrist answered it promptly, an image of Norvex on a private channel meeting his sights.

"Hey there handsome, didn't want to add this in the little note I left but before I get to that you did open the compartment I told you about right? Otherwise your whole team could be dead about now." Norvex said nonchalantly, pushing some hair back from his face so he could look at Lance properly.

"Yes, they weren't too thrilled about being stuffed in a small space by your hand...again." Lance said slyly, eyeing Norvex with a look.

Said Galra looked away guiltily, "Oh please, they're used to it, besides no harm no foul right?" He said quickly, messing idly with a lock of hair.

"Of course, now what was it you needed to speak with me about? As you know we're about to retrieve the prince." Lance added, checking the scope of his rifle thoroughly before putting it away and checking his pistols next.

"I've hidden a few vials of serum under the main console, I figured the prince might need it since he's been without it for a quintant. And before you ask yes I do know about the prince befalling an illness, I was a former druid trained under Haggar herself, the fact that anyone thought they could get two crates of Mayurn's scales from me and not raise my curiosity is as dumb as a Rusharok." Norvex said haughtily, clearly insulted.

"You know why this had to be kept under wraps Norvex. Letting the enemies of the Galran Empire no matter how few they are that the prince is sick and weak is showing weakness for the empire as a whole and you know how our Emperor is about weakness." Lance explained, motioning for his team to wait outside. With them gone he retrieved the vials where Norvex had said they would be, placing them in a pouch on his hip. The dematerializers at his hip weren't the best to use for organic material unless they were stored properly, so this would have to do for now.

"Besides, couldn't risk you being seen as a liability and being disposed of." Lance added, checking over his pistols one more time before finally putting them away.

"Watch yourself handsome, I might get the idea you actually care about me."

"Talk to you later Norvex."

"I'll hold you to it, don't get killed."

The transmission ended, and with that Lance put away his pistols and stood up. Ana lifting her head from where she had been laying at his feet, an ear cocked.

He left the ship with Ana following close behind on all fours, sniffing at the ground and huffing through her mouth at all the new scents from this strange planet of jungle greens and swirling colors of the sky in hues of blue and orange. Her pointed ears twitched and moved outwards to catch any sounds, looking towards Lance and whining when she heard nothing. The jungle around them was dead silent, only a few rustling of leaves from a slow breeze the only thing heard. Lance ran his fingers through the top of the Yupper's head, easing her and helping her calm down. She didn't like this, and if she was uneasy they all had reason to be.

In front of him his team stood, weapons ready and alert as they looked into the jungle's dark recesses, trees taller than the robeasts Haggar liked to create stood tall and proud over them, making them all feel like specks of cosmic dust against their massive greatness. Vines stretched from the canopies straight into the ground, some thicker than the width of Lance's body as a whole. Leaves covered the ground, nearly as big as the ship itself, creating a natural carpet impossible not to walk on. They were many colors, ranging in from purples to golden yellows and muddy blues.

"Min'ak, give us a scan of the area if you don't mind?" Lance asked, the tall Galran female nodding politely before engaging in her task, her helmet glowing a faint pink as the scan progressed. A bright pink line went horizontally across her visor, going up and down a few times as she scanned the area, giving a few sharp clicks when she was done.

She sent it directly to Lance, the topographical map of the surrounding area filling part of his visor. A few blips were blinking erratically, signaling organic activity. They would check the blips closest first, get those out of the way.

"We have a lot of locations to scout out before the commander rains hell on this place, we have the general area of the prince's location and that's where the commander is going to lace her attack, we're here to make that area smaller. Well split up into three teams; Min'ak you're with me, Neevah and Theryk you head over to the location east of us, Ruge and Hark you take west, me and Min'ak will head up north, if you find anything tell me over comms. Lastly don't get killed, took me too long to pick you guys out, I'd hate to waste time going through to pick new members. If you don't find the prince within the varga meet back at the rendezvous marked on your maps."

The others nodded their agreement, and without further saying they left in silence, each going to fill out their respective tasks.

***

The forest was still oddly silent, not made any better by the fact that the small party was moving even more quietly over the ground. Even Ana's paw steps barely made a sound, her huffing breath the only indicator that she was even walking beside Lance, taking in all the new smells and cataloging them for later.

Ana looked up towards Lance, huffing a small breath when he patted her head gently, tapping twice on her neck in the process. With a start and a short bark she ran ahead as fast as her legs would let her, paws thundering against the leaf covered ground as she went to scout. Min'ak watched closely from where she was walking beside him, continuously scanning the area for any signals of any kind or activity non native to the planet. It was quite a sight seeing the Yupper act so docile around him, especially given her reputation among the soldier's ranks. More than a few had gone to the infirmary with more than a gash from this one. The result of idle curiosity and dares no doubt.

Min'ak however was content to stay a ways away from both of them. Ana for obvious reasons, and the Va'li because Ana was quite protective of him. Or possessive was more like it now that she thought about it.

"Anything yet?" Her Va'li asked, looking towards her as they walked side by side now.

She shook her head, a few clicks from her throat indicating that she would tell him of any changes. Unless the rebels had come into some new cloaking technology she could pick nothing up from her scans. Maybe the Yupper would have better luck, it wouldn't be the first time she found something that the scans had missed beforehand.

They continued on walking, Lance checking the little blip marked the interior of his visor, the small dot telling him Ana wasn't that far ahead. It hadn't moved in a few doboshes, which either meant she had found something or was trapped. The latter was highly unlikely considering she usually knew a trap when she saw one, having been trained to identify them and watching Lance set his own a couple times on a few missions taught her well enough to pick them out from the underbrush and avoid them. Which meant she must have found something interesting enough for her to wait up for him.

Min'ak confirmed this with added input from the scans, clicking out the confirmation of activity and life signs from way ahead of their current position.

Their assumptions were correct when they caught up with her, the Yupper laying down well out of sight in the brush, body angled towards the rebel camp in the valley below them. She was well hidden from sight of the rebels and Lance and Min'ak quickly followed suit with her example. The trees just below them were spaced farther apart, not by much but just enough to allow the building of a rather large rebel camp. A few posts stood where they could see, easily camouflaged in the trees and brush. A few rebels were stationed at the posts, keeping watch out for enemies of the like. But other than that it seemed deserted, no one moving from within the camp itself.

A small message appeared on his visor and he opened it, scans Min'ak had initialized were opened and he viewed them, small blips representing life signs showing that the rebels they couldn't see were underground, and there were quite a few, possibly the largest rebel base they had ever seen. Seemed a bit small to be their headquarters but Lance would t doubt if this was just one of the few more prominent bases they had at their disposal.

"Min'ak, report to the others and call them to this location. And send a message to the commander to hold off on the attack until she gets my word to go. This might take longer than we originally planned."

***

The sound of his cell entrance opening didn't even phase Keith, his attention so focused on the stabbing pain behind his eyes and the burning of the muscles in his arms from the cramped position he'd been in for what could've been hours or even days for all he knew.

He forced himself to at least turn his head, everything felt heavy and his head hurt as he did, squeezing his eyes shut against the dim light, which seemed bright against his sensitive eyes. A hand, long and feeling rough with the wraps that covered the palm held his cheek, and he unconsciously found himself leaning into it. The sound of something being placed on the ground beside him caught his ears but he made no move to investigate it; although a sharp inhale revealed the scent of food. A cool hand was placed against his forehead in such a soothing, motherly manner, causing him to lean more into the cool caress, memories of such actions long buried from the past rose up, causing a lump to form in his throat.

"You're burning up." The rebel said, he was vaguely aware that she was the same one that had cared for him earlier. Her voice was gentle and soft, sensitive towards Galra hearing no doubt. Though why she would be careful with him was beyond his understanding at the time. He was more focused on the hands caressing his face, a distraction from the pain that wracked his body in dull aches and sharp spikes.

"You're sick." She said softly, and even without seeing her face (Not that he could anyway with the wraps she had covering her face from view) he could tell she probably had a look of confusion there. Galra were a hardy species and not many ailments befell them. And if they did happen to get sick it was something serious, not to be taken lightly. She had heard nothing from the spies and inside agents about any illness befalling upon the prince, then again the Galran Empire was very tight knit on keeping and weaknesses on the down low and below the radar. Even after ten thousand years of his reign Zarkon still let no weakness show itself from within his empire. Apparently that even went as far as hiding his own son's illness and letting him proceed with his daily public appearances no matter how sick he felt.

"How could he do this? To his own son no doubt? You are just a child." She murmured, picking up the decently sized flask of water she had brought with her, bringing it up to his lips. He drank the cool liquid down greedily, trying to soothe the raspy dryness that had settled in his throat.

"Slow down, you'll make yourself sicker than you are if you drink too fast." She said, taking the flask away. Keith let her, not like he had much choice, his stomach rolling as he instantly regret his actions.

"You need to eat and rest." She suggested, carefully guiding him to lay back against the wall. He had previously leaned out when she had held him without knowing.

He shook his head, "I can't stomach anything right now, and I've rested enough." He rasped, throat still feeling worse for wear, even with the drink he had just had. His ears flared out, tips pointed out to catch any sounds and flattened just a tad bit out over his hair. His fur was plastered with sweat, growing cold as it hit the air and caused chills and shivers to race down his body.

The rebel noticed this and took something from the inside of her clothes, Keith was too out of it to notice though, more focused on pressing the side of his face to the cold cell wall to try and soothe the burning on his face and the ache in his head.

He vaguely registered the sounds of yelling and faint explosions beyond the cell, the rebel with him tensing, head whipping towards the noise to make sense of the words and orders being barked out.

She got up to leave and help her comrades, but stopped when a hand weakly gripped at the trails of her coat. She looked down back at the weak and deathly I'll prince below her, kneeling down to his level. Though being as tall as she was made it extremely difficult she managed all the same.

"No matter what people have said about me...I am sincere when I say...I hope you live through this...may the goddess watch over you." He said weakly, coughing a bit as he let her go.

Masking her surprise at his words she made sure he was decently wrapped in the blanket again before leaving through the exit of the cell. Tunnels in every direction met her sights and with ease she navigated through them towards the surface, holding a hand in front of her eyes to block out the blinding sunlight.

She had never seen such carnage before in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm at klancept.tumblr.com if you wanna yell at me for all these cliffhangers.


	11. Oh How His Knight Has Fallen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To the stars he'll soon grieve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look an update

Bodies dropped like flies, blood of every different color soaking into the ground and turning the already dark dirt into a darker colorful hue of mud. The air was clouded with dust, ashes, and small bits of debris that scuttled along the ground because of the high heat and air that blew it. Buildings lay destroyed and burning to the ground, the smoke that billowed out from the burning buildings smelling acrid and woody, coming out in dark black clouds that seemed to choke the very air of light as everything under them turned dark with ash.

Panic and confusion met the ears of any unfortunate enough to be present during the destruction, languages of many species sounding scared and panicked. Not even a few moments later more explosions went off and those not dead or injured readied their weapons to fight the unknown enemy.

Lance watched from where he was perched in the tree with Min'ak beside him, long limbs hanging over the branch she sat on with her knees easily surpassing her head by a few inches as tall as she was. Hark was beside her, having returned from his later task. He was silent and watching over the proceedings carefully, fingers lingering over the small UI interface strapped comfortably on his wrist, ready to let loose a third round of bombs placed around the camp.

The others were watching and waiting patiently in different locations around the camp, readying themselves to move in a moment's notice at their Va'li's signal.

Lance took a moment to view the sensors on his visor. The map Min'ak had scanned and created of the camp and it's underground passages looking vast and impossible, running for miles underground. It would take days just to go through all the tunnels. Luckily they didn't have to, a small blip from his sensors showed the prince's location, no matter how faint the signal was it showed he was at least still breathing, which meant there was still time to get to home before his sickness got any worse.

"Ruge, Hark, you two come with me; Neevah, Theryk, and Min'ak, you three stay here and keep the rebels off our tail. And make sure Ana doesn't eat anything or anyone she's not supposed to." Lance reminded them, swiftly jumping from the branch and landing as gracefully as he could down below, his blade dragging through the thick, smooth bark of the giant tree as he descended, well out of sight of any eyes that might've been scanning the area around for the enemy they could not see.

Ruge and Hark followed right behind him, crouching out of sight in the bushes as more explosive noises reached their ears. Both Lance and Ruge looked at Hark, who gave them a half smile and a shrug to go with it. He liked to be more thorough than the rest with his distractions it seemed.

They focused their attentions back on their mission, a short run leading them to the less populated part of the camp which was deserted with the recent happenings. The buildings here hadn't been touched by the explosions, the only evidence of anything actually going on was the fresh thick coating of dust and small bits and pieces of debris that had blown over from the wind.

A quick check of the area confirmed it to be empty, no one in sight. Apparently the rebels had put all their attention at the front of the camp it seemed. One of the many mistakes they've made so far. It was amazing they were even on the list of problems the Empire was facing.

They stuck to the shadows, stilling and hiding out of sight when the rare sight of a rebel soldier ran past. After waiting for it to be silent and making sure no one else was coming they continued on until the entrance to the underground tunnels came into view; it was nothing more than a hole in the bottom of one of the few gargantuan trees that made up a part of a camp. The roots near the bottom gnarled and curled into a sort of opening entrance at the foot of the tree.

Apparently what was happening at large didn't pertain to the two guards guarding the entrance, both covered head to toe in their gear standing tall and at attention. Not for long if Ruge had her way.

And had her way she did.

Two knockout gas bombs made by Ruge's hands and her own recipe were all that was needed to quickly dispose of them, the three making their way into the dark tunnel of roots.

Hark pulled up a small hologram of one of Min'ak's scans that showed the tunnel systems in great detail, a small blip marking the prince's location.

Ruge peered at it, memorizing the layout in record time before leading the small group through the dimly lit passages. They walked quickly in silence, going through twists and turns at every end until they came to a set of stairs leading down. Ruge stopping the small search party and letting their Va'li walk ahead of them. Hark stayed put to watch the entrance as the Va'li and Ruge went down to investigate, readying his blaster in case anyone lingering in the tunnels themselves during all the commotion made their appearance. The Va'li and Ruge made it to the bottom of the stairway, coming to rows of makeshift cells made from the roots of the tree itself. Hard packed dirt made up most of the floor, thinner roots winding overhead like a cluster of vines. The air was stale but cool, breathing made easy by the cooler temperature.

At least the rebels knew better than to keep someone as valuable as the prince in deplorable conditions. They were smart in that regard at least.

They didn't have to look too far to find the prince occupying one of the last few cells, covered in a blanket and slumped against the wall in what appeared to be an uncomfortable position, even for a Galra. Lance rushed over, checking over Keith for injuries but taking into account that he wasn't alone in the room.

Lance noted how feverish and clammy Keith's skin felt even with his hands covered by his suit's gloves and he cursed under his breath. Without missing a beat he removed one of the serum vials from his hip and materializing a medical syringe from one of the discs. He put the vial into the syringe until it locked in place with a click and without hesitating he pressed it to Keith's neck, injecting him with the serum. The prince's face pinched a bit but other than that there wasn't any response.

Without even having to ask Ruge handed him her dagger, which he used to cut the ropes binding the prince's wrists behind his back before setting his hands under his knees and under his back, hefting him up to hold him comfortably to his chest as they made their way out from the cell block.

When they reached Hark Lance passed the prince off to him, "I'm going to see if I can get any information of other rebel bases like this one and other operations they may have, they should have a control room nearby. You two get the prince back to the ship using the escape routes marked on the map. If I'm not back within twenty doboshes leave me, just get the prince to safety. And tell Ai'Rita she can go forth with the attack, just nothing too destructive in the next twenty doboshes is that clear?" He ordered, seeing the two off before beginning his search for the control room.

Even through the maze of tunnels he found it without any trouble, Min'ak's maps were always accurate, she often went the extra mile to be sure they were.

The room he entered was different from the usual root covered tunnels and dirt floors, metal covering the once dirt walls and floor all around seamlessly, likely to protect any equipment from getting wet during the rainy season. There were consoles of every shape and size lining one wall, picturing feeds from cameras and incoming reports and scans from other bases and intercepted empire signals.

Perfect.

His always silent steps made slight echoes on the metal floor as he approached the main console, materializing a drive from one of the discs at his hips. He plugged it into one of the data ports in the input panel and watched as the progress bar started moving across the screen as it downloaded all the information present, synthetically clawed fingers tapping idly on the metal of the input panel as he waited for it to finish.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up suddenly and within a split second he had turned with an arm up in front of his face, fist clenched as he stopped the path of a staff from connecting with the now side of his head.

A rebel stood before him, tall and covered head to toe in gear, impossible to make out a face or even eyes for that matter. They didn't waste any time going for another hit. And Lance wasted none hitting back either.

He kicked them back a few feet with a well placed kick, the other almost toppling over due to their size before finding their footing and dodging another kick that created a sizable dent in the wall where their chest had been just a moment ago.

Finding their footing they lunged at him with their staff ready, only to get it knocked out of their hands a few feet away from them from well timed kicks and a nimble body.

Now the playing field was even.

No time was wasted as they went back to fighting each other, bruises forming for both parties as hit after hit landed or missed. He had to give it to them though, they knew how to hold their own against him when not many did.

However he had a job to do and a prince he was eager to get back to, he didn't want to waste time playing games with this one.

This had to end now.

He ran at them full speed, dodging a hit they tried to lay on him as he slid down the floor and underneath them, quickly spinning himself around and landing a kick to the back of their knee. Now crouched on the ground he used the back of his elbow to land a hit on their back, right between where their shoulder blades should be. You could never tell with most alien species.

This one however seemed to be one of the ones with an actual skeleton, falling to the ground and crouching at their knees, the wraps at their head and around their face falling loosely at their neck as they looked down at the floor.

They made a move to turn on him, at least until the sound of a pistol charging caused them to go still. With quiet steps the Va'li of the Galran Empire that the resistance for sure now feared if they hadn't before, walked in front of his opponent, pistol aimed and ready to be rid of the rebel at his feet.

"It is custom for the victorious to allow their opponent to voice their final words where I come from, have any you'd like to share?" He asked, head tilting curiously to look at them.

They were silent for a moment, as if thinking carefully about their next response. Their shoulders shook and the sound of laughter reached his ears.

How curious.

"I'd rather watch you burn with the empire you monster. And if I have to burn alongside you just to see then so be it." They spat, voice dark and serious as they finally looked up at him, dark eyes gleaming, "Those are my final words, _Va'li_." Voice filled with utter contempt as the spoke his title.

Looking for the first time upon their face Lance did something he'd never done since he'd been put to fight in the arena.

He hesitated.

Out of nowhere there was a muffled silence in his ears, like a thick blanket had suddenly been placed over his head. Everything seemed to still as his fingers fell lax, pistol falling from his hands to the ground below. The clanging sound of metal against metal sounded a lot sharper than it actually was and for a moment his head hurt.

He fell to the ground below him, knees taking the brunt of the impact to the point where somewhere in the back of his mind he knew they were going to be sore and bruised later. A puddle of red formed under him as his hands shook severely, betraying his overall surprise and nervous fear, like something was terribly wrong. It wasn't until he looked down that he actually realized what was causing all his symptoms so to speak.

A blade shining with blood met his eyes, a few inches of it sticking out from his stomach, which would explain the red puddling around his knees and the agonizing pain in his back.

The rebel that had stood in front of him was pulled up by another, one of the guards he believes, leaving him to hurt.

And goddess did it hurt, it hurt so much.

Then again that could be from the lingering black poison that dripped from the blade and onto the floor, no matter how it dripped it always splattered in a vein-like puddle. His own veins feeling like they were on fire and his vision getting dark and fuzzy around the edges.

He didn't really notice how the visor in his suit was flashing red or the alert it was sending to his team. Even if it was technically in his face.

It was hard noticing anything when his world was turning black as the void of stars he traveled in every day of his life since he was eight.

And when a face he hadn't seen since he was a child lingered at the forefront in his mind, their words echoing back, hurting greater than any blade.

_"I'd rather watch you burn with the empire you monster."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, angst and a cliffhanger to boot.
> 
> Aren't I just the nicest.
> 
> I had a thing in mind but I might just do the other thing instead, who knows.
> 
> Anyways hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you think!


	12. Hurt Their Jewel and Vengeance Will Be Carried Out Rest Assured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unshakable loyalty to the Empire's jewel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy my filler, I have something of a plot in mind after all it seems.

Min'ak had watched from the trees during the whole thing, dismissing the incoming message of Hark and Ruge's entry into the ship with the Prince in tow, a bright red message marked URGENT flashing in her helmet garnering all her attention.

Without a moment to lose she jumped straight down from the branch she had settled in, landing with a near silent thud on the ground. Her steps were large given the actual size of her as a whole and it didn't take her too long to find the entrance to the tunnels by following her own maps and scans of the area, disappearing inside without being seen by a soul, the Yupper that had followed from the last location trailing from behind after her.

It was a bit of a tight fit given her height but she managed just enough to maneuver through the tunnel with little trouble, her limbs helping to pull her along as she closed in on the Va'li's signal.

She took care of any lingering rebels, their bodies now one with the tree and soil after she had dispatched of them quickly, Ana doing the same, both not wanting to waste anymore time with such trivial matters. They had something more important to do than deal with such pathetic creatures.

The smell of blood had reached her senses, smelling foul and rotting and causing her to gag. Her helmet's filtration system kicked in and began its work, bringing fresh air in for her to breathe easy again. Ana whined beside her, loping her way towards the uneasy scent and whining pitifully at the source, her whole demeanor unusually small and shaken.

Min'ak found herself in a metal room, her sights drawn to her Va'li on the floor surrounded by blood, breaths coming out harsh and shallow as blood covered hands tried to stop the bleeding from the wound in his stomach, blade still deeply embedded within armor and soft flesh.

She ran to his side, helping him in a sitting position with him slightly slumped over. He was shaking and trembling from blood loss, his suit from the waist down stained a deep red and shining sickly in the light.

Her first priority would have to be to get her Va'li in a more stable condition before trying to return him to the ship where the others were waiting. And they only had a few more doboshes until the attack was supposed to commence, therefore every tick was valuable and precious.

Holding him still with one hand she placed her claws around the handle of the blade before pulling it free from his body as quickly and smoothly as she could manage. Blood poured from both ends of the wound, fresh blood adding to the still wet puddles of it on the floor.

Without missing a beat she activated a setting built into her suit, her hand heating up until waves of heat left her palm and it glowed orange. Without even flinching at the heat Min'ak pressed it against her Va'li's wounds, cauterizing them to stop the bleeding until proper medical care could be administered. During the whole process the Va'li had barely made a sound, chest rising and falling brokenly as he struggled to take in air, the whole shock of the ordeal preventing him from doing much else. Luckily he was still breathing, albeit a bit worse for wear than normal but he was alive at least and Min'ak counted that as a good thing at least for the time being.

Ana shuffled close, whimpering softly as she sniffed at her caretaker, huffing when the scent of blood and poison burned her nostrils.

They didn't have the luxury of staying put any longer. She was sure it wouldn't be long now until Ai'Rita called on to attack. And Min'ak was sure when she found out about the Va'li's condition her anger along with the soldiers' would increase tenfold.

Min'ak let the Yupper carry him, the large animal carrying him with one arm and loping through the tunnel after Min'ak, the taller making sure there were no guards to interfere in their last minute escape. It wouldn't do to have him captured or hurt anymore than he already was. They would have to return to the ship quickly as fast as they could however, who knew how fast the poison running through his veins would make work of him if they didn't hurry, and she was sure they had a few vials of antidote that might help slow it's progress aboard the ship until they could get him to the druid healers for proper medical care.

***

Aboard the ship the rest of the team waited, every tick passing by making the tense air ripple with another bout of anxiousness like a rolling fog.

Ruge was sitting near the ship's doors and toying with a few grenades, taking them apart before putting them back together in record time, making sure none were set to go off. It would look to good on her record if she blew up the ship again. Theryk was sitting across from them, playing with the blade of one of his many knives between his claws as fluidly as any of the weathered veterans back in the empire. Hark was laid against Theryk's left side, dozing lightly, his tail curled around the other's in a light grip. Neevah was tending to the prince and his injuries at the front of the ship in the small med room. Luckily his injuries weren't too severe and besides his sickness there was nothing wrong with him that would need immediate attention. The serum he'd taken before would keep it from progressing any further until they could get proper help.

After making sure he was settled and wouldn't decline in health until they returned to the commander's ship, Neevah joined the others in waiting for the rest of their team and their Va'li to return, all restless with pent up energy and the lingering affects of adrenaline still in their systems. They'd never been waiting this long for their leader to come back.

Hark awoke with a start, head whipping to the side so fast it was almost a blue, gold eyes trained at the tree line of the forest as he went in a kneeled position, right hand holding onto Theryk's shoulder. Said Galra followed his mate's line of sight, somehow Hark's hearing was better than his, eyes peering into the darkness as the others on the ship focused their attentions towards the dark shadows of the trees as well.

The faintest of a pink glow, almost like eyes showed itself from the dark brush and everyone seemed to hold their breaths as it came closer.

Min'ak broke through the giant leaves that seemed to swallow in the very darkness of night itself, broad daylight be damned. Questions were at the tip of their tongues, which were promptly bitten down on when Ana appeared after her, carrying their beloved Va'li in her large arms.

"What the quiznack happened?!" Neevah cursed, going to take the Va'li from a whimpering Ana's arms and set him down against the wall, the Yupper settling beside him like any loyal hound would. "Ruge pilot us out of here, we need to get to the main ship now." She stressed, the other already on her feet to get the ship up and running. Small scout ships from overhead were already flying down from the very sky to rain hell on the rebel camp and she'd rather they not get in the midst of that crossfire.

The ship's bay doors closed and soon they were off the ground and heading full speed for the commander's ship. The incoming soldiers piloting their own ships parting ways to them get through without trouble, which Ruge was grateful for.

"Min'ak will you please tell me what the quiznack happened to him?!" Neevah finally snapped, irritated by her friend's silence as she tried to clean the wound as best she could without having to take his suit off. From what she had learned only he or the druids could take it off properly.

"Well?" She had her hands on her hips as she stood up, facing the other with seemingly nerves of skulltrite. But the trembling of her wrists and slightly shaking posture betrayed her terror at the situation on hand. She had never seen the Empire's prized jewel so still and weak before. The Va'li was known for his strength and determination, and though she had seen a softer more free side of him before she and the others had never considered that to be a weakness he possessed. Rather a strength they felt honored to bear witness to. But now, to see him so still with a wound that had him breathing so shallow you could barely see the rise and fall of his chest...that terrified her beyond belief and she was sure the others were just as affected as she was if not more.

There was a small high pitched hiss and a thud of metal before the screech of it reached her, the clang resonating a bit too close for comfort next to her ear. A bitter smell reached her nose and she pulled back her lips in a snarl as she turned her head to view the long blade of a rebel's dagger now embedded deep within the ship's wall. Maintenance wasn't going to be happy about that.

With a careful motion and some gagging involved she pulled the blade free from its entrapment, taking a good look at the weapon that had rendered her Va'li so weak and frail at her feet. The handle and blade were covered in a fair amount of blood from tip to hilt. The blade itself gleaming silver were the blood had either been wiped off or had dripped off cleanly. Veins of liquid black appeared like webbing all over the blade, covering the silver bits as if it were a broken mirror. The smell coming from it alone was burning to her very senses and caused her eyes to water with tears. The others were minutely moving away, the scent reaching and wrapping all who were in the immediate vicinity.

"Who?" Neevah's voice held a certain coldness and steely reserve that sent a chill through the air.

A clicking response from Min'ak told them that she didn't know, but it'd probably be best to take any rebels alive for questioning.

"Theryk send out a communication to commander Ai'Rita, let her know that if possible any and all rebels left or trying to flee are to be taken alive as prisoners to answer for the Va'li's...injury." She finished, he wasn't dead...yet. Theryk gave a curt nod before leaving to the cockpit to carry out the order.

"I'll kill whoever did this myself if I have to."

The others were silent as they listened, even Ruge was oddly quiet as she heard the other from where she was, her claws itching for blood.

Oh yes, someone would have to pay for what had happened to their Va'li.

And they'd tear anyone apart who got in their way.


	13. The Knight Returns To His Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Safe and sound with a kiss shared in between

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of your comments really motivate me to write like you have no idea. And I love all the theories, ideas, and suggestions you guys give me! It's really helping me to flesh out and plan future plot points and scenarios like jfc this story would not have gotten this far without you guys and I want to thank you all for the nice messages!
> 
> Even if I don't respond to them all I do read every single one and instantly recognize the Regulars on my works. I love you guys so much you have no idea!
> 
> Anyways I hope you sweethearts enjoy this chapter and keep being the sweeties that you are!
> 
> Smooches!
> 
> Lance's Team - http://klancept.tumblr.com/post/162998097222/these-were-sketches-but-ofc-i-do-too-much-anyways

It was a slow process waking up, muddling through different sounds and voices that seemed to come from all around him. Lights were too bright and his body felt too hot. But somehow Keith managed, throat dry and raspy when he tried to talk. A pouch of water was put in his hands and he drank it down greedily, ignoring the rolling waves of nausea in his stomach.

He took deep breaths as he finished, the medic taking the empty pouch and replacing it with a new one. He thanked them quietly, the other nodding politely before leaving the room to inform the commander of the prince's awakening.

Keith took a moment to look around the room, rubbing at the bandages that were wrapped around the rope burns on his wrists. The quarters he found himself were large and grand, albeit a little messy but by the looks of it whoever owned the room was in the process of cleaning it up, as piles of books, data pads, and what appeared to be different trophies of every size littered certain parts of the floor. The bed he was in was lavished with fresh sheets and soft pillows obviously brought in just for him, numerous pillows placed behind and around in him in a sort of soft cushioned nest. All he needed was one or maybe two pillows really, this was just overkill at this point.

He remembers his time in the rebel camp down in the cells, but anything after that he just pulled a blank. He gripped the soft sheets, claws tearing holes in the delicate fabric.

His ear perked up, swiveling towards the sound of the doors opening with a hiss, an unfamiliar figure walking inside. They were Galran of course, large bat like ears and darkened blue markings were prevalent on her face. She looked serious and professional as she approached him, steps quiet and measured, posture straight as can be.

"You're highness, are you feeling well?" She asked, gold eyes blank and cold looking. Keith looked her over again, noting how she appeared...anxious. for what he didn't know, but she didn't seem like the type to get anxious often.

"Where am I and who are you? I don't remember seeing you in the lines of my father's commanding ranks before." Keith asked, brows furrowing in suspicion.

"You are aboard the Maridas ship, the former commander was...relieved of his position so to speak due to certain circumstances and his refusal to comply to the Va'li's wishes so I rose to the occasion to take command over the ship. Considering I was the previous lieutenant of the ship it was according to protocol that I take over. You can refer to me as Commander Ai'Rita or just Ai'Rita if you so wish your highness." She answered, bowing slightly in respect.

"What were these 'certain circumstances' you spoke of? And how was this commander relieved of his duties?" The prince asked curiously, looking towards her for an answer.

Ai'Rita seemed to hesitate, but only for a split second before she gave him an answer. She learned early on from others that the royal family didn't take too well to late answers. "Your abduction was rather unexpected to say the least considering we hadn't heard anything about it until the Va'li boarded our ship, requesting the use of it to aid in your safe return. The former commander was rather...reluctant to say the least and refused. This consequently caused the Va'li to resort to less than desirable measures and he then made sure to promptly be rid of the commander once and for all." Ai'Rita finished. He thought he could hear a smirk in her voice but when he looked to see her face was impassive as ever.

"And what of the Va'li? I assume he was the one that originally retrieved me?" He asked, his twitching ears betraying the fear he felt at the answer to come. Lance was always present when he awoke no matter when or where, and even if he had only been in service to him for little more than a year he was so used to his presence he couldn't ease his nerves without him present. Especially with the influx of assassination attempts made on his life. Apparently with the rise of Voltron going against the Empire it also brought about more emboldened attempts against him. Keith's recent abduction was just one example of just how much and how far they were willing to go.

"The Va'li has been with the druid healers while you've been asleep. He was stabbed with a poisoned blade while his team got you to the ship. He's in stable condition now and by what the healers have said he should be waking soon. We also have some rebel prisoners awaiting your words on their fate."

A puzzled frown fell on the prince's face as she answered him, something didn't seem right.

"How long was I out?"

She seemed to pause at his question, looking at him as if wanting to gauge his reaction both before and after she answered.

"Only for a few spicolians. We've gotten the ship to a safe system where we shouldn't be bothered by any attacks. Of course we are prepared to deal with one if the even arises but so far it's been quiet." She mused, seeming a little skeptical. She had good reason to be, it was unusual for there not to be an rescue attempts made for certain rebel prisoners. And from the way she spoke about the current prisoners they had kept them all alive for one soul reason. Keith could probably guess why.

"Take me to see the prisoners." He demanded, pushing away the sheets so he could get out of the bed with no trouble. The commander handed him a fresh set of robes, which he refused, rummaging for the clothing that was folded neatly below it.

Ai'Rita left to give him some privacy, the hiss of the doors a second time then third letting him know they were closed and locked, which was good as any for him.

He stepped out when he had finished getting dressed, the commander waiting patiently for him just outside the door. He was dressed in a simple sleeveless vest of sorts, pants, and soldier issued boots with an added flare to set him apart from the common soldiers. Not that it would be too hard to tell considering everyone in the Empire knew who he was.

Ai'Rita led him down to the lower levels of the ship where the prisoners and slaves were held, taking him down to the larger cells further down where they held groups of them at a time.

Ai'Rita stopped the prince in front of the designated cell, the prisoners inside looking up. A few wore fearful looks on their uncovered faces, others giving him a look like their eyes alone could kill him.

Naive fools, he's faced those same looks from Zarkon himself, what they were putting out was nothing in comparison.

There was one however that looked at him head on, eyes determined and glaring as they viewed him with such contempt it almost sent a chill down his spine.

Almost.

The barest hint of a smirk could be seen on the prince's face, but only a hint. And as soon as it appeared it was gone, replaced with a cold stare and empty eyes.

"Would any of you care to explain why I was taken from my home and brought to a backwater planet in the middle of nowhere? I mean besides being used as a bargaining chip that wouldn't have worked in the first place?" He asked, voice level, steady and oddly calm, gold eyes flitting from one face to another. His heart sank when his eyes fell upon one of them, the gear familiar and height more so. He really hoped she wouldn't have been here, there was nothing he could do about it now. At least not unless he wanted his judgment questioned. After all these were more than likely the rebels that had aided in his abduction.

There wasn't any answer, and instead one of them spat at his feet, sneering in his direction. He didn't much care about that but apparently the guards were itching to find any reason to beat them for what they did to their prince and Va'li respectively. Keith let them, the rebels knew what they were getting into when they signed up for this. And besides, he was still feeling bitter about how they had beaten him back on the planet. This was just his own form of revenge. The rebel that had spat at him was nothing more than a bloody pulp when the guards were done, barely breathing and face bloody.

A few blood drops splattered on his face during the whole ordeal and he made to wipe them off, pausing however when Ai'Rita handed him a small handkerchief, standing tall and poised as ever. He thanked her quietly and used it to wipe off the blood, putting it away when he deemed his face clean enough.

"Let me ask a different question then."

The rebels looked at him, those who oncL fearlessly at him faces now fearful as they remembered what he was truly capable of.

"Which of you is responsible for the Va'li's injuries? I'm sure his team would love to have a chat with whoever did." He mused, eyes flitting from place to place.

Silence.

He expected as much but he didn't feel like dealing with them anymore than he already had. He was quite eager to see if Lance was awake and well. And he wouldn't admit it but he was worried for him. This wasn't the first time he had gotten severe injuries like this, but it still didn't make it easier to deal with.

With a convincing bored sigh he left, leaving the guards to deal with anyone foolish enough to spew any last minute insults his way.

"Leave them alive for the Va'li's team to deal with, I'm sure they'll have a few choice words for them."

Ai'Rita nodded, not even having to tell the guards before they locked the cell and stood back at their posts obediently. She led the prince back up into the higher levels, leading him past the med bay and to the private med quarters; usually only used for royalty, high commanding officers, or in this case the Va'li.

The room was large, with a high vaulted ceiling and six pillars scattered out evenly in a uniform position. Centered near the back of the darkened room, the only light emanated from a pool of what appeared to be water, lightly charmed with quintessence. Two druids wearing flowing robes with hoods that covered their faces stood off to the sides, quiet and tall like statues. They were the two higher level druid twins, specialized in healing and only performed their talents on royalty or those of equal standing. The Va'li had proved time and time again that he was an equal. And time and time again they healed him if his wounds were severe enough.

Both stopped in their healing and silently left, Ai'Rita allowing them to lead her out and give the prince his privacy.

Keith's ears turned back as the sound of the large doors closing and locking behind the three that had just left met him. The room now falling completely silent aside from the gentle wound of the water lapping at the pool edge. The water seemed to glitter gold, glittering specks sticking to the edges of the metal rim from the small amount of quintessence that was mind in. The water glowed from inside the pool, basking the surrounding area in a soft blue, gold rays from the quintessence mixing in with it as well.

Keith kneeled down at the edge of the healing pool, gold eyes looking down into gold-blue waters for a certain someone. He didn't have to wait long before a face appeared in the waters moving back a bit as Lance rose up from the water like some kind of god, giving Keith a toothy smile when he saw the Galran prince.

 _"Hey there gorgeous."_ Lance said, the Galran language rolling off his tongue as fluently as if he were born Galran himself. A soft purr rolled through Keith's chest, the smallest of smiles gracing his face as he heard Lance speak in Keith's mother tongue.

 _"Hey yourself."_ Keith grinned, leaning closer to Lance, watching him quietly. His hair was dark, plastered against his head and face as the water ran in soft gold rivulets down his scarred skin.

Keith lifted a hand and traced an old scar running down diagonally across Lance's face from the outer corner of his eye down towards his his mouth, rubbing a careful claw across soft lips. Lance grabbed his hand, kissing his prince's palm softly, leaning into the soft touch with eyes fluttering closed.

Keith watched him, heart growing warm and face flushing as he watched Lance with a fond look in his eyes. He touched their foreheads together, Lance leaning up to the touch like he always did. Keith brushed his thumb over Lance's bottom lip, silently asking for permission. Something which Lance wasted no time in granting.

***

Ai'Rita made it back to the bridge, the two healers following behind her and standing off to the side to watch her. She had a hunch that the prince's abduction was more than just a lucky shot. There was no way the rebels could have gotten aboard and carried out their plans of abduction on a ship as secure as that one without someone on the inside. And she was determined to find the traitor if it was last thing she did. And she would do all she could to make sure it wasn't.

Those two soldiers that accompanied the Va'li in the escape ship they had used would be a good starting point if any.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to point out any grammar mistakes, it's getting harder and harder to spot them as my chapters slowly get longer.
> 
> Also Lance is fluent in alot of alien languages, fight me on this.
> 
> And if you're confused on why Keith doesn't act as worried as you feel he should he is, he just has to put up a facade considering their relationship isn't supposed to be a thing in the first place, rest assured that boy loves him very much.


	14. No Rest For The Wicked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one gets a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would've had this up the day after the last chapter but Transformers Prime kicked me in the butt from my childhood and I had a major headache during my writing hours so yeah.
> 
> Shorter chapter than normal because I had a good stopping point and it would've delved deeper than intended.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy anyway and I hope to have a better way of introducing Voltron later chapters and them actually interacting.
> 
> More than likely I can see a sequel in the making.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Keith rolled his eyes, not that there was anything visible to indicate he actually had. But Lance had spent enough time with the Prince to decipher what every flicker and twitch of movement meant.

"I should be the one asking you that, I wasn't the one stabbed through the back with a poisoned dagger." Keith murmured, voice low and worried as he moved careful claws along the soft skin of Lance's face, the skin where the scars cut through feeling almost like the rest of him except for the telltale drag along the pad of his fingers.

Lance had long since gotten out of the healing pool, putting his suit back on before choosing to settle down with Keith against the wall off to the side. The motions of the water and light played off on the walls around them, giving them a feeling of being underwater, the golden light of the quintessence actually magnifying on the walls themselves and playing images of blobs of gold across the metal.

Lance had his helmet off, waiting for his hair to dry fully before putting it back on; it wouldn't do too well to have his hair wet in the same space he breathed, it would get too uncomfortable too fast for him to deal with. And he didn't like the feeling of water running down his neck while the rest of him was dry.

In the meantime he had his head pillowed in Keith's lap, the Galra combing gentle claws through the knots and short tangles in his hair. The motions were so soothing he had almost fallen asleep a couple of times, only to be awakened by Keith's gentle prodding. It didn't bode well to sleep after a quintessence bath, being too relaxed could cause the quintessence to settle in different amounts all over the body and cause irregularities with energy and muscle movement. Better to stay awake and keep the blood flowing than to need your trigger finger and find out you couldn't move it a damn inch.

Even if he needed to stay awake that didn't mean he had to be happy about it, voicing his small complaint with no heat behind it whatsoever.

"I just want a nap, I deserve it."

"From what I hear you've been asleep for spicolians Lance, I'm pretty sure you don't need sleep anytime soon."

"That was unconscious sleep it doesn't count."

"Then what is this?"

"This is conscious sleep, me having a choice to sleep and I'd very much like to do that."

Keith sighed, a small smile gracing his lips as he listened to Lance's explanation. He always was so...exaggerated seemed like the right word for it, having some off the wall answer for things that actually made sense when you thought about it. That was just one of the few things of many that Keith loved about him.

Lance bumped his head against Keith's abdomen gently, getting the Galra's attention, purple fur rendering blue with specks and dots of gold given the lighting. "You're thinking, what about?" He asked curiously, blue eyes watching as he waited, half hooded with tiredness, dark lashes fanning his cheeks.

"Nothing much, just you." Keith said softly, face warming when he realized what he had said.

"Aww you're adorable, who knew you were such a sap?" Lance laughed, dodging Keith's halfhearted hits and pushes against him to try and throw him off balance.

"You're such a ky'veksa."

"I'm your ky'veska though." Lance said sweetly, looking at Keith with fond eyes.

Keith rolled his own, face flushing anyway, "Yeah yeah, whatever." His voice held no heat but an immense degree of fondness seeped into the tone, something that made Lance warm from the inside out as he laid back and gazed at the pretty light that danced on the metal around them.

***

Ana growled menacingly as Theryk tried to get one of the prince's pillows from her, the Yupper not in the mood to comply and give up her latest toy. She bared her teeth at him as he tried again, snapping at the tips of his claws when he didn't heed her earlier warning.

"She's gonna end up biting your band off if you don't stop." Ruge said, "She did help with allowing us to get most of the pillows for the prince anyway so the least we could do is let her completely destroy one." She finished, watching as Ana's ears perked up, a tongue lolling out as her tail wagged. She went back to her current toy of choice, ripping out another shred of the expensive fabric and snuffling at the fluff inside, huffing a breath to make bits and pieces from it float and go every which way.

Theryk gave up, the pillow pretty much useless without the fluff inside.

It had been a few spicolians since they returned to the ship and in that time they were all in one of the many training rooms aboard the ship, each in their own little space and doing whatever they could to keep from worrying too much about their leader. Although it wasn't working too well.

Neevah was battling a few of the training droids, her scythes in hands as she cut down one after the other in quick succession. She stopped after a few more doboshes, taking a seat on the floor and keeping still to try and cool her overheated body. Being partially cold blooded didn't really help most of the time. Although she could still function pretty well in cold temperatures it was easy for her to get overheated and actually took more time to get her cooled down than anything. Although her suit and gear for missions prevented problems like that from arising, she was currently in her more casual get up and found it annoying how slow her body was in cooling down.

A cold towel was placed around her neck and she grabbed at it loosely, thanking Hark quietly as she did so. The other just nodded and went back to whatever it was he did in his free time. He was quite secretive in those regards, but after everything they've been through the last feeb he was allowed his secrets. He had done more than enough to earn their trust so they figured they could let something as small as what he did in his free time slide.

They all looked up as a soldier appeared in the doorway of the training room, looking somewhat nervous but they hid it well with a quick salute.

"The commander wants to see you all at the bridge immediately, she said it was urgent." The soldier relayed to them, quickly stepping aside as they all walked past to hurry themselves to the bridge. A sharp whistle from Hark alerted Min'ak to the changes in orders, the silent Galra dropping down from where she was resting in a corner of the training room ceiling with a near silent thud, limbs barely dragging against the floor as she followed after them.

They arrived at the bridge a few doboshes later, the commander turning to look at them with a confused expression on her face.

"What are you five doing here? Did you get through the prisoners that quickly? I assumed you were angry but I didn't expect you all to be done so fast." She mused, going back to read through recent reports and past security feeds.

"We haven't gone to see any prisoners yet, you said to wait until the prince had awakened and interrogated them first." Ruge quipped, hand on her cocked hip as she looked at the commander with a raised eyebrow.

"You sent a soldier to get us as well, told us you had something urgent for us." Neevah spoke up, rearranging the cold towel on her neck, it was starting to get warmer.

The commander turned to face them now, her expression puzzled, "I didn't send any soldier to-" Her eyes went wide, turning to slam a hand on the intercom button. "Where are those soldiers that were in the hangar with the Va'li when he boarded? Tell me!"

The soldier over the comms seemed to stutter nervously at her tone, she might've only been commander for a few spicolians the soldiers feared her wrath about as much as they respected her, which said a lot in itself.

"We were going to send those two off to the med bay to get checked out for their injuries but they said they were fine so we let them go."

"Do you know where they are now?"

"No commander I don't."

"That'll be all soldier." Ai'Rita said, ending the call before turning to the soldier nearest to her. "Go check the prisoner's cells immediately and put the ship on high alert, we have a couple of infiltrators aboard so double security." She ordered.

Min'ak tapped a claw against Theryk's shoulder, the other looking up at her, ears quirked in such a way to listen to her language of small beeps and chirps.

"Min'ak just looked at the cam feeds, the prisoners are gone, we may still have time to-" a loud explosion rocked the ship, knocking everything and everyone off balance, a few soldiers falling to the ground as pained grunts left their mouths. The two healers that had been standing off to the side held one another, a flash of light and they were gone, possibly teleported to another ship located nearby or a nearby outpost.

"Oh some help they are." Ruge muttered, trying to hold herself steady as she stood up.

The alarms were blaring and flashing red, images on the main computer pulled up to show diagnostic scans of the ship, breaches marring the hull and red outlined sections showing areas in critical condition where the integrity of the ship was compromised.

"What the quiznack was that?" Neevah grit out, leaning against Theryk for support.

Ai'Rita pulled up another screen, the static and dead pixels making it hard to see. But there was no mistaking the colors or design.

Voltron.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments keep me motivated!
> 
> And please let me know of any spelling/grammar errors.


	15. Those That Rose Up Will Soon Fall Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Va'li meets the paladins and is not impressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost a 3k chapter, I told you guys it'd be worth it.
> 
> Anyways I hope you enjoy and I'd love to hear your theories on the characters and other ideas you may have!

"Quiznacking quiznack what the quiznack?!" Ruge cursed, maybe over doing it but then again she was sure this was an adequate enough situation for it. "What are they doing here? I thought we were well hidden?"

"Apparently they had inside help, and I'm willing to bet that those two soldiers had something to do with it." Ai'Rita growled, claws digging into her palm as she clenched her fist.

"Someone send for the Va'li and the prince, it's likely Voltron didn't just come for the prisoners." She ordered, Ruge and Theryk both nodded, leaving to get them both, Ana loping after them, eager to see her master after so long apart.

The commander turned to the soldiers before her that manned at the auxiliary computer's below, "Ready the soldiers and ships, defend the ship long enough for us to get the Prince to safety!" She ordered, the soldiers hurrying to fulfill the current orders. No one wanted to be stuck on this ship for longer than they had to, especially with the commander's wrath.

"You three prepare a ship for the prince's departure, our first priority is to keep him safe. Once that task is finished we'll discuss where to go from there." She spoke, multitasking through different scans and incoming damage reports as the lions of Voltron circled the ship. Probably working out the ships's weaknesses and best points of entry, which meant they were here for the prisoners. And as long as the prisoners were on the ship they wouldn't attack or do too much damage.

"Commander, we're ready on your order." A soldier reported in from the ship bay.

"Good, deploy your squadron immediately, keep Voltron from the ship as long as you can. We need a big enough window to be able to get the prince far enough away to be able to open a wormhole. We don't have room for error or time for failure is that understood?"

"Yes commander, understood."

"Good, now buy us as much time as you can."

***

"If Voltron had people on the inside to get our location why wait spicolians to attack?" Ruge asked, keeping up with the set running pace as she matched Theryk nearly step for step even with her small size.

"It's no coincidence they waited to attack when the prince awoke. It seems our beloved heir to the throne is more popular nowadays than we thought." Theryk mused, turning a corner and nearly running into the Va'li himself, the prince in step beside him.

"Pardon me your Va'li but we were under orders of best interest to get the prince to the nearest ship for escape."

"Yeah Voltron's right at our front door and Theryk here thinks they might've shown themselves because of the prince's awakening." Ruge added.

"Of course I can't catch any sort of break now can I? Lead me to the ship then." The prince muttered, clearly agitated by recent events and maybe even at the interruption, of what the two couldn't begin to guess. The prince was usually stone faced and indifferent whenever they saw him, whether in person or over broadcasts.

"You heard him, lead him to the ship and wait there, I'll meet up when and if I can."

They both nodded and escorted the prince down one of the halls, not noticing the lingering look the Galran prince gave to their Va'li before they disappeared around a corner.

There was another sound, a crash of sorts that rocked the whole ship.

"Commander Ai'Rita, I assume we have company?" Lance mused, simultaneously checking the map of the ship and cross checking with the damage reports to identify the point of entry.

"Why don't you greet our uninvited guests then your Va'li? Show them some manners while you're at it as well. It's so rude to just drop by unannounced."

"Of course, I'll make sure they get the message." Lance mused, turning off the comms with a click before making his way over to one of the newest larger breaches in the hull.

He got there within a few ticks, the soldiers stationed there already engaged in battle with the paladins, holding them back from moving any further. Although he had to admit they held their own pretty well.

He made his way to the nearest soldier, who was busy aiming and shooting at the paladins, asking for their input on the situation.

The soldier seemed to freeze up, not believing that the Va'li himself was talking to them of all Galra present. They shook themselves of their shock enough to actually form an answer.

"The black one seems to be leading them, although the pink one is on the same level maybe higher. The rest would surely falter if they were taken out. Two of them seem to be cubs really and the red one is too sporadic to pinpoint where exactly they fit. But I feel they could pose a problem if left unattended to."

During the small report Lance was already calculating their weak points, it'd do him well to take out the pink one first.

"Cover me. Make them focus on one side." Lance said, not even waiting for a reply as ran headfirst into the fray, materializing two shock rods in his hands that crackled and flared with energy as they came to life.

He ran flanking their unguarded side, taking a leap for the pink one feet first. By the time they saw him it was too late, he slammed right into them, both crashing into the ground. Lance kept his balance, practically standing on them as he pressed the shock rods into their back for good measure. It wouldn't do to take down the enemy and not have them stay down.

He stood up and stepped off of them, shock rods in his hands laying comfortably at his sides as he stalked towards the other paladins.

The red one seemed to anger quickly at the sight of the pink one down and didn't seem to consider their actions before charging straight towards Lance.

Anger was the worst cloud of judgement, this was no different. He'd dealt with angry enemies before and they always made mistakes, making it all the easier to take him down.

Lance dodged their attacks easily, taking a step back with each matched lunge and punch made towards him. He waited for an opening, watching carefully as one presented itself. He took it, jamming the shock rod in the other's side, they faltered holding at their side as Lance kneed them in the stomach, an elbow coming back to hit at the red paladin between the shoulder blades. They fell to the ground, still conscious but unmoving, too hurt to get back up and fight. Oddly enough they fought like a veteran now that he thought about it.

He didn't have time to muse on this however, something bright green aiming straight at his head. One reflex his arm came up to deflect whatever it was, only to startle in surprise when it wrapped around his wrist instead and jerked, pulling his arm out and causing one of the rods to fall freely from his hand hitting the ground with a clatter.

The paladin on the other end looked fierce and determined despite their size, interesting if he was being honest, something so small holding so much malice in their looks.

Or it would be if he wasn't well acquainted with Ruge.

He wrapped their bayard around his wrist, gripping it tightly before tugging hard. The paladin lost their footing and Lance fixed his stance and dematerialized his remaining shock rod, using his other now free hand to grab on the paladins cable and pull them with enough force to clear them across the room, their body hitting the wall with a thud as they fell to the ground. They'd be feeling that next cycle for sure.

A few shots neared him, just nearly grazing his helm. He snapped his hand to look, seeing the yellow paladin focus his sights on him adjust their footing to aim better.

Lance ran away from the spray of bullets, making sure s  
To keep pace and speed up enough to be one step ahead of the fray. Once he got close enough he materialized a few smoke bombs, aiming throwing them at the paladin's head. They coughed and sputtered at the grey smoke filled the area, giving him enough time to get his speed up and jump right over them, timing it just right and hooking his legs around their face as he vaulted over. Using inertia and his full body weight he carried himself over, dragging the paladin with him. His body arched and he set his hands on the floor, using enough of his strength to throw the paladin back, unhooking his legs and straightening up to look.

They were knocked out cold on the floor groaning from being thrown. Let's see, one...two..three...four...that left-

His arm went up to block the hit from connecting to his head, he turned to look at the black paladin, recognizing the hate and malice in his eyes. The same eyes he'd direct to the prince when he was in the arena.

He didn't much care for those looks being directed at his prince. Maybe now was the time to make this one pay. But he had a job to do, and he wouldn't let personal vendetta get in the way of his orders. He was here to buy time so his prince could get to safety, and that's exactly what he was planning to do.

He used his left leg to kick at the former champion in the stomach, pushing him away a couple yards to get his footing and stance straightened out.

The two stood and watched each other from a distance, sizing each other up. Or at least the black paladin seemed to be, only having seen the Va'li next to the prince within the high booth. He didn't really prove his prowess in battle to the public so there was no way he'd know. Any history regarding Lance in the arena was scrubbed clean save for a few heavily secured archive files left in the the few major databases under high security.

Lance readied himself as the black paladin charged at him, his Galra arm glowing with energy. Lance grinned under his helm, dodging each attack with ease. He'd had enough time to watch and catalog the former champion's moves and fighting style. And it proved quote useful, matching him punch for punch, hit for hit and kick for kick, and dodging every "surprise" hit with his own.

This continued on for awhile, the black paladin seemed to struggle to breathe, sweat running down his face. Even with his suit helping though not by much Lance's own stamina was far superior. The former champion was obviously military trained, but not as trained Lance has been. Fighting and defeating those twice his size and larger back to back was a lot more strenuous than anything the former champion went through. Lance had been fighting for his life for five feebs, fighting with the now black paladin was child's play.

The black paladin, in a fit of desperation charged at him, sloppy and uncoordinated from his exhausting fight beforehand. It was almost too easy to dodge and jam his left leg into the back of the paladin's knee, causing him to cry out and fall to the floor.

Lance walked up to him, materializing one of his pistols and aiming for his head. He could be rid of this nuisance once and for all if he really wanted to.

The soldiers near the entrances watched with rapt attention, watching with bated breath at what was history in the making. Witnessing their Va'li take down the paladins of Voltron and be rid of the black paladin and former champion of the empire once and for all.

Lance placed his finger on the trigger, fully prepared to shoot and be done with this. At least he was until the comms crackled to life, Ai'Rita talking to him, voice sounding strained and forced, like she was trying to sound calm.

"Lance the prince's ship has reached the safe zone, I would advise you to do the same, the prisoners have taken over the bridge. I've initiated a self destruct sequence so I suggest you order your soldiers to leave while they can. You as well, the prince still needs you. You have about five doboshes before it all goes to Gharea." She struggled to say, even with her almost steady voice he knew something was wrong.

Lance sighed, dematerializing his pistol with a flourish and turning to leave.

"Everyone get an escape pod or any available ship and get as far away from here as possible, the ship is set to self destruct and we have five doboshes to get to safety. Now!" He ordered, the soldiers scrambling to follow the Va'li's orders without question.

"I'd love to play some more but I have better things to do. Until next time Champion."

Lance walked away leaving them to their date whatever that may be, making sure to close and lock the doors behind him and kicking the control pad in to make sure they stayed.

"Ai'Rita where are you?"

"Lance you have more important things to worry about, get to the prince and-"

"Where are you Rita?" He said again, voice stern. He was starting to get worried, even from the first comm communication he had with her. She didn't normally use his name unless they were speaking face to face and even then it was rare. So for her to use it as freely as she did twice now didn't bode well.

"Barracks 3-804, it shouldn't be too far from where you are now." She relented, voice sounded breathy and weak.

He had about three doboshes before the ship was blown to bits, he could get there in one if he started right now.

He activated a button on his wrist, causing rings of pink light to glow and blink slowly as he ran down the hallways, turning left and right until be made it to her coordinates. The door to the barracks was locked and with an impatience to rival Zarkon himself Lance punched through the control, pulling out wires and circuitry, the door opening with a hiss.

He ran inside, having to dodge a shot aimed for him before Ai'Rita realized it was actually him and let the blaster fall to the ground. Her other hand was pressing against a shot wound in her side, trying to stop the bleeding as best as she could.

He kneeled by her side and sat her up against him, pressing his hand along with hers to help.

"You should've just left me you kykveska." She growled out, flinching when her wound protested to her movement, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were glassy, and half hooded, like she was struggling to stay awake.

Even with her being a foot and some taller than him she was slumped so far against him it almost made her seem smaller than she actually was, which made him all the more worried for her.

"And have me be the only one to deal with the rest of the asshole commanders that don't want to give up their ships and fleet? Now what fun is that? Besides, you knew I wasn't going to leave you anyway Rita so don't even try to act surprised." Lance said, pressing against the rings that glowed against his wrist, hoping the signal was strong enough.

"Yeah, I don't know why I even tried." She chuckled, coughing up blood in the process.

A low hum settled in the air, barely noticeable above the sound of blaring alarms and the AI signalling the ticks until the self destruct commenced. Lance calmed his breathing, closing his eyes as he counted down the time, Ai'Rita doing the same, gripping Lance's free hand with her claws, grip firm even though she was weak.

"It was an honor knowing you Lance." She said, a small smile gracing her face, rare to see and even rarer for her to give.

There was a flash of bright light and the sharp smell of ozone as the last few ticks were announced until detonation, a loud crash and boom of an explosion ringing in their ears, smoke and heat meeting them.

Then there was darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it wasn't too apparent the red and blue paladins are Coran and Allura, don't worry I have a whole thing for how the castle is tended to in their absence and hopefully I'll be able to explain it.
> 
> The next chapter should have that plus the paladin's views and the prisoners as well so you guys will find out who exactly saved Driya and how they escaped.
> 
> Love you guys!


	16. How The Stray Dogs Lick Their Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Take time after your victory and defeat to lick your wounds and heal.
> 
> But alas the enemy waits so I wouldn't linger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First fanart for the fic and I'm just???? Yes???? Bless honestly
> 
> Fanart - http://klancept.tumblr.com/post/163694021537/cimderslla-the-empire-had-a-new-champion

"Who was that that pretty much handed our asses to us?" Pidge asked, taking her helmet off and trying to get her hair looking somewhat back to normal.

"Pidge, language." Shiro remarked.

They were all in the ship's largest hangar, the lions still and unmoving as they departed them. The castle seemed more empty and quiet, drowned in silence, whether from their absence or recent defeat none could be sure.

"They're called the Va'li, personal bodyguard to the prince and apparently a lot more skilled than I thought." Shiro said, eyes focused on one point, like he couldn't believe he was actually there. Actually alive.

"I don't care who they are, that defeat was unacceptable." Allura said, taking her helmet off with a brisk, fresh anger that could only originate from being brought down so easily.

"Well whoever they are they did a number on my neck, I'm going to be sore for days." Hunk said, grimacing as he rubbed at his neck to try and relieve the soreness.

"You try getting thrown into a wall, I'm surprised I can even walk." Pidge groaned, doing some sort of half walk, half limp.

"As you humans say look alive! We still have the rebels to speak to once they get here!" Coran said, smiling and looking as chipper and upbeat as ever even with the recent defeat, talking to himself about cooking up a few snacks and Altean delicacies for their guests.

Allura smiled at his optimism, leave it to Coran to try and lift everyone's spirits even if he did look a bit bruised and battered himself.

They all turned when the roar of a ship's engines made it into the hangar, the paladins looking towards the Galran escape ship that touched down on the floor with a groan. The entrance to the ship opened, steps coming closer as the rebels they had rescued stepped down from the platform. Some were injured and limping, leaning against their team mate's for support.

The paladins led the injured to the healing pods, while Allura led the ones that were fine to the control room to plan their routes back to their bases scattered across the system so they could stay safe and regroup when they had the chance to heal and grow their numbers and to mourn for any losses during their imprisonment.

 

Two of the rebels stayed back near the ship, one thinking and the other reluctant to leave their sibling behind.

The reluctant was taller than the other by only a few inches, thick dread like appendages coming from their head wrapped and pulled back by a handmade scarf wrap of sorts. the male's arms were crossed, claws grasped onto thick biceps as they regarded the other silently.

 _"What troubles you sister?"_ He asked quietly, not trying to disturb her too much from her train of thought, yet curious all the same. Especially considering she was almost killed this day.

Driya looked up at Revra, eyes going soft at the concerned look in her brother's face for her. She pushed herself off from where she was leaning against the ship, coming to stand in front of the other and placing a comforting hand on his arm.

 _"I'm fine brother, just...confused."_ Her brows furrowed as the thoughts that had plagued her earlier resurfaced.

Revra tilted his head to the side questioningly, watching her every move in thoughtful silence.

 _"About what? Are you tired? Do you need to rest?"_ He asked concerned, worry evident in his voice.

_"I'm fine brother it's just...that run in with the Va'li was odd."_

_"Odd how?"_ He asked her, puzzled by the tone in her voice.

_"They hesitated."_

_"Luckily."_ He murmured, remembering the cold panic he had felt when he had seen her held at gunpoint, not even thinking before he had took out his blade and plunged in the Va'li's back. Not even caring that he had forgotten to pull the blade out in the rush to get his older sister out there as fast as he could.

_"Yes of course Revra, I'm not saying I'm not grateful but it doesn't make sense why they would hesitate. We've all heard the stories from prisoners that had seen him. Especially those that worked at servants at the Grand Gala."_

Revra seemed to pause at that, familiar with the stories that told of the Va'li beheading one of the generals that had gotten a little too close for the prince's comfort. The voice and tone the Va'li held as he spoke to the crowd chilled even him and he wasn't even there to bear witness.

"Those that touch royalty not of their right will face the same fate as this scum." His voice sounded deep and cold, either enhanced by the mask or just his natural voice no one could tell.

He had said it clear and loud, not even waiting for the head to stop rolling.

Other high officials had waited with bated breath towards Zarkon to see his reaction. The emperor had only waved a hand, as if brushing the whole thing off. The Va'li had returned to the prince's side and the gala returned to its former chatter as if nothing had occurred, although an unsettling air had blanketed the crowd.

 _"We know the Va'li didn't hesitate in cutting down that general down a size so why would they hesitate to pull the trigger on me, the enemy?"_ Driya questioned, her face holding a puzzled expression.

 _"You are here now sister, and that's all you need to focus on. Why they hesitated means nothing. Just be grateful they did long enough for you come out alive."_ Revra said, voice calm and disguising the shakiness and lingering panic that was left in his system.

Driya noticed it anyway and squeezed his arm reassuringly, giving whatever small amount of comfort that she could for her younger brother. It was bad enough their home and everyone they knew was destroyed, worse for Revra since he hadn't even been back home for feebs, going back only to see space rock and debris littered where his home once stood.

 _"Let's go find the others and get some food in our bellies, it has been a long few spicolians and I'm sure we could use what little time we have to relax. I'm sure our leader has some kind of contingency plan for us to enact on as soon as possible."_ She murmured, leaving the hangar to go eat with the others, her brother following close behind.

***

"KHAI please draw power from any nonessential secondary sources to the healing pods, it's essential that we focus on healing the rebels. They have enough to worry about without having anymore casualties on their hands.

"Of course princess Allura, is there anything else you need?" The AI asked.

"No that will be all." Allura said, looking through data and any damage reports from the mission.

Shiro appeared beside her, she barely glanced in acknowledgment before speaking, "I assume the injured rebels have been taken care of?" She asked quietly, eyes never leaving the screens before her.

"Yes, the one who made it are all accounted for so we didn't accidentally leave any behind in the panic. What now though Princess?" He asked, wondering what their next move would be.

"There's a nearby planet, more of a giant marketplace really, but the Galra don't have too much control over it so we should be able to find a portion of the marketplace to safely refuel and replenish our supplies. One of the rebels has also said they have some of their colleagues down below that they can get a message through to their headquarters to inform them of the situation and their current status." She informed him, pressing a few more symbols before closing one screen only open another.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, pausing to glance at him from the corner of her eyes. Shiro seemed a bit troubled, she could probably guess it was because of the run in with the Va'li and apparently it was one he didn't win. She could understand why it would trouble him. After being told he was something valuable and skilled it would have hurt to be put in your place by someone else so easily. especially when your whole team was down and it rested upon your shoulders to see them out of there alive and safe. Luckily the rebels had come for them when they could, getting them to safety and out a safe distance from the blast radius of the ship, the lions surrounding them to protect them from any aftershocks of the explosion.

"Shiro, I know that whatever may be going through your mind is troubling you and I do wish you had time to think about it or grieve or whatever it is you humans do to wallow in your self pity, but we need you focused on this mission. The paladins, me, Coran, and the rebels whether they know it or not all are counting on you to be on your on your most level state of mind. However insensitive it may sound know that I mean no offense when I say we have bigger things to worry about. Your here now, there is nothing to be gained from focusing on the past, believe me. It will only hold you back from doing what needs to be done." Allura finished, voice growing soft at the end as her own mind wandered.

"Of course princess, is there anything else that needs to be done?"

"No that is all, however I'm sure Pidge and Hunk would benefit from your guidance, they do seem a bit put off by that defeat. I would advise going to give them some encouraging words and maybe check on Coran to see if he's made anything that the rebels can actually stomach, Altean foods don't settle in all species stomachs."

"Of course." Shiro said, turning to make his way to the common room where Pidge and Hunk would most likely be.

Allura turned to focus on a rebel that had come up to ask her questions about their next destination, she readily answered them but the back of her mind still held a curiosity at that strange figure they had met.

They were a bit short for a Galra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics in quotes is just the characters speaking either in their tongue or a different language altogether.
> 
> Let me know if there are any spelling mistakes, this fic is like 30k and I refuse to go back myself.
> 
> Thems alot o words
> 
> Also I'll probably have art of Revra up whenever I can get to work on a new chapter.


	17. Warm In Your Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Resting Up, Getting Ready To Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally updated after forever. Got around to actually finish this chapter and safe to say we're getting closer to the good bits!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!

It was warm, oddly so for the chill in the air yet welcomed. Lance felt sore all over, a headache thudding right behind his eyes, and a small ball of nausea in his stomach. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of Galran perfumes, fresh smelling shampoo, and soft petals; pushing his nose into soft clothing that felt like the finest of silk and just as soft.

Arms tightened around him, holding him close to a firm chest as fingers ran through his hair, claws scratching slightly against his scalp. He made a small noise of content, snuggling further into the comforting hold without trying to aggravate his sore body.

He heard a small laugh, feeling the shaking of whatever or whoever he was snuggled up against. He ignored them, burrowing in deeper into the softness, content to just relax and fall asleep. It'd been too long since he'd felt this relaxed to let down his guard. And knowing that he knew exactly who he was being held by helped out a lot in those regards.

A noise of content left his throat as Keith ran his claws through dark brown strands, scratching the scalp gently enough to just scrape lightly at the skin. The prince smiled as he nosed at the top of Lance's head, pressing a gentle kiss to his Va'li's forehead.

"Mmm you missed." Lance mumbled, looking up to gaze tiredly at Keith for a few moments. Keith laughed, brushing his lips against Lance's in a light kiss. Lance wasn't having any of it, wrapping his arm around Keith's neck and dragging him down for a real kiss, the prince letting out a small sound of surprise, soon turning into a low purr as the kiss dragged on. They broke apart a few moments later, lingering in each other's space, as if to reassure themselves that the other was here, alive, and breathing right in front of them. There had been one too many close calls in a short amount of time and there was no doubt that more would be committed against them. For now they were content to bask in each other's warmth, trying to savor the moment before it would no doubt be taken away.

"You seem like you're feeling better."

"A few more kisses and I'll be good as new." Lance teased, trying to pull Keith down for more. Keith indulged him for a few moments, pulling away to push himself off the bed in a sitting position.

"As much as I would love to stay here with you, you have someone you need to visit. Ai'Rita I believe it is, is awake down in medbay, and she's expressed...concern that if you're not down there to check on her she would induce bodily harm towards you." Keith said, brow quirked as Lance sat up to hear him better.

"Judging by your face you've met her?"

"We didn't have time for pleasantries, just brief introductions at most." Keith answered him.

"What do you think of her?" Lance asked softly, leaning against Keith's shoulder, closing his eyes when Keith lifted his hand to run his claws through Lance's hair.

"She seems...nice." Keith spoke, earning a small chuckle from Lance.

"She can be a bit...rough to deal with at times but she's good." He replied, leaning more against Keith as ticks wore on.

"I'm sure, you did risk your life for her after all. Which reminds me, when did you link your suit's signal with the twin's mental link?" Keith asked curiously, turning his head to settle against Lance's hair.

"It was awhile ago, Norvex suggested it in case of emergency and implemented it to my suit soon after. I hate the feeling afterwards, I feel like I'm in one place while my stomach is spinning in another." Lance pressed his face in Keith's neck, feeling warm and relaxed enough to fall back asleep. However he was promptly shaken awake by the prince.

"You need to go, she seemed rather serious." Keith said softly, watching Lance as he grumbled and made to leave the room, taking a moment to give Keith a lingering kiss to his temple before gathering his stuff scattered across the room.

"I'll have my team and a few soldiers posted outside your door, if you want I can have Ana stay in the room with you."

"That'd be fine but are you sure this is necessary? The whole team and guards I mean? This seems like too much for just my protection." Keith said, claws messing with the loose threads of silk in the bed sheets. His ears perked up as he felt Lance kiss the top of his head, soft hands still bare rubbing gently through his hair to stroke his ears.

"Nothing's too much for you."

Keith refused to acknowledge that he flushed at that, cheeks dark and feeling warm to the touch as Lance then put on the rest of his suit, leaving the room without another word.

***

Lance arrived in the med bay after having gathered his team and the guards necessary to be posted outside the prince's door. His team was more than relieved to see their Va'li up and walking, especially after weeks of being in the dark on his health and healing and with the recent attack on the previous ship. Apparently they were currently on one of the Empire outposts on Kemylomonjuk, one of the main market and trade planets in the system. With their previous ship destroyed they had no choice but to take shelter here, the guards and captain of the post in awe within the presence of the Va'li.

Ai'Rita was in one of the beds, looking angry at having to be confined to it like some kit with a cold. When she saw the Va'li though she seemed to brighten, as much as someone with her disposition could, to him at least. Anyone who didn't know her long enough to tell would've said her face read straight murder.

"You're finally awake and come to finally visit after warming the prince's bed I see." She teased, wincing as she sat up to talk properly to him, pulling on the bandages around her mid section and chest in the process.

"Had no choice, apparently someone was threatening me if I didn't."

"That was the drugs talking I swear it. No denial of the bed warming I see." She teased some more.

"Mhmm." Lance mused, ignoring her last comment and stepping to the side of the bed to hear her better.

There were a few moments of an odd silence before Ai'Rita spoke up again, her voice solemn, "You should have just left me, you almost got yourself killed cub."

Cub. That's how he knew she had been worried about him, although she didn't need to be.

"I wasn't going to leave you, you know that." He said.

She let out a long suffering sigh, "I know. But you have a duty to the prince in more ways than one. Your death from the risks you take would only ruin him, his judgement would get clouded with grief and if he's going to take the throne he needs a clear head and his Va'li by his side." She spoke, words firm as she tried to get what she was saying through to him. Lance only nodded, but with his helm on she couldn't really gauge his reaction.

A few more moments passed in tense quiet, before she spoke again to try and be rid of the tense atmosphere.

"Are you by any chance going down to the markets?"

"I was thinking about it, the prince could use a change of scenery and some peace after all of this."

"Just make sure you both cover yourselves appropriately, it wouldn't be very smart to have your identity known. tensions are too high and no doubt the rebels and Voltron will be on the lookout for another chance to nab the prince. I'd offer my services but apparently I'm not cleared for duty considering my injuries. A flesh wound really,"

"One that had you bleeding and dying on the floor when I found you." Lance said sparkly, regretting it when she fixed him with a glare.

"As I was saying, I need you to pick up something for me at one of the other outposts while you're out if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course, which outpost?"

"Veronas S-17, just ask for a package for Former lieutenant Ai'Rita, they should hand it to you once you show them who you are." She explained, watching as Lance nodded and made to leave the room, the information recorded into his visor for future use.

"I'll be sure to have a member of my team send it back to you once I've acquired it. And Ai'Rita?" Lance called over his shoulder. The Galran female made a questioning sound, looking up from where she was smoothing out her blankets.

"I'm glad you're okay." He said softly, leaving before she could respond.

She only chuckled, sinking back down into the bedding with a small smile on her lips.

"You're going to get yourself killed caring as you do my friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts!


	18. Afternoon Out (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A break...

The market streets were crowded with people, aliens of all different races convening together to buy and sell various products and supplies. Vendors yelled from their stalls to entice customers to buy their wares and many chefs were passing out free samples to potential customers. The scent of food and sweets permeated the air, creating a delicious aroma all around and enticed children to ask their parents for a treat from the colorful array of stalls all dressed in bright fabrics and tarps.

Keith was browsing through the wares of one of the stalls with Neevah beside him, the other looking intimidating in the sun even with most of her face and body covered in protective clothing and wraps to keep herself as cool as possible. Keith was dressed similarly, only his eyes open to the public view. It wouldn't do well to have his presence known through the market, it'd draw too much unwanted attention they didn't need.

He was browsing through different blades, the bladesmith was a fresh-faced looking female, short in stature by so much she was standing on a crate to be seen above the stall. Her many eyes were warm and inviting as she waited patiently for Keith to either buy a blade or ask a question. She didn't seem at all intimidated by Neevah's presence, keeping a calm demeanor throughout the whole interaction, guessing by the others whom she presumed to be bodyguards hanging around this one was someone important.

Not important enough for her to want to find out who though, she got many customers of importance coming to her for custom blades. And not all of them on the right side of the law. She kept her mouth shut though, for her safety and for the fact that she didn't much care. People appreciated her work and more often than not her blades were more for decorative use. Her work so elegant most thought it too beautiful to even use. Which she didn't mind as long as she was paid to be able to feed herself and keep the shop running.

"Anything of interest ser?" She asked, tapping her long fingers on the stall top idly, warm smile still on her face. Or what Keith assumed was a smile, it was hard to tell the way her mouth was shaped considering her species.

"Not sure." He answered, response short and clipped.

He wasn't a talker apparently but that was fine though, she was used to those types.

"Well there's no rush, you take your time and if you have any questions let me know." She said politely, watching as the other nodded his head.

As much as she hated waiting on customers for so long this character and his company was interesting enough to keep her attention piqued for the rest of the afternoon.

***

Lance made sure to hand the package over to Ruge and Min'ak to take to the commander, wandering off through the stalls down the streets, trying to find one that sold what he was looking for. Barely anyone took a second look at him as he moved through the crowd, his wraps and clothing nearly covering all of his body except, for a portion of his helm, revealing his pitch black visor in the midst of colorful yet muted cloths and wraps, which would make anyone uneasy had they looked upon him.

He finally spotted what he was looking for, making his way towards it with carefully measured steps as he weaved through the crowd.

The stall he approached was swathed in bright and colorful fabrics, the stall top carefully organized with jewelry of every type and metal from all over the system and beyond what he was able to recognize. The vendor behind the stall was a bit taller than him, seemingly bald except for a headdress of gold and gems. Their pale skin was complemented by more jewelry and other gems on its body also wrapped in bright cloths, looking every bit regal and sophisticated.

"Would you like anything specific or are you looking for something that will catch your eye?" They asked, speaking the shared tongue of the population.

When Lance replied in the vendor's native tongue instead they were very surprised, but quickly masked and answered any questions he had. Many words could be lost in translation and Lance would rather not have any mistakes made when dealing with something as important as this.

When his purchase was made and business done he had turned to leave, only to knock into someone. A female of the same species as the vendor although smaller, looking flustered and frazzled, spilling sincere apologies from her lips as she bent down to pick up whatever she had dropped. Lance bent down to help her, picking up and returning a few of the jewels and blank jewelry templates to her person. She looked up to thank him properly, only to freeze mid sentence as she stared a bit below where his face was if she could see him.

During the bumping the wraps around his neck had come loose, revealing his insignia on his suit's collar for her to see. This was an Empire controlled area so it wasn't all that surprising that she recognized the general design. But judging by the way her face paled even whiter than her normal skin tone he guessed she also knew exactly who the insignia was supposed to represent. He barely spared another moment before he lifted the wraps back into place, disappearing within the crowd barely a tick later.

The girl just stared at the spot where he had disappeared off to, jumping when her uncle snapped at her to get moving before a thief came along and made off with their shipment.

She picked up the crate hurriedly and went into their small shop to sort out the templates and gems in their respective places. All the while wondering with heavy fear in her stomach on why the Va'li was here of all places.

Another customer came up to her uncle's stall, one of his regulars who couldn't hold their tongue to save their life and usually spent most of the day gossiping with her uncle as a result.

"Did you hear about the paladins of Voltron coming here? They're only visiting for a short while but can you ever imagine why they'd come here? Do you think they're going to free us?"

She perked up at that bit of information, pausing in her sorting to listen closely.

"Unless it's to free us from your lying tongue I wouldn't believe it for a second. You've been drinking that Yija Sap for far too long, you're starting to hear things my friend." Her uncle replied, shaking his head as he listened.

"I don't lie I swear! They're up at the Kibhron district right now! I saw them all with my own three eyes!"

"Of course you did, what else could you have possibly seen besides the drunks and Louyi users that line the streets?" Her uncle said sarcastically, ignoring his friend in favor of dealing with another customer that had approached the stall, looking for a certain gem for a custom they wanted to get made. He turned to ask his niece to bring him the piece, only to see the back empty and the recent shipment only halfway sorted out, the back door of the shop swinging closed from the wind and his niece's departing push to the object.

He let out a long suffering sigh.

That girl was up to no good, just like his sister to have a child just like her, annoying him even after her death if she couldn't do it herself.


	19. Proceed According To Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Min'ak deals with a few loose ends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hush, I can order my chapters however I like.
> 
> Enjoy!

"Here's your package commander, delivered as promised." Ruge said, leaning against a wall as she lightly tossed it on the commander's now empty and unkempt bed, said commander pulling on a standard issue shirt, her bandages lying in a pile on her bedside table, her flesh devoid of any wounds. The twins had made sure there was nothing left but a faint scar.

"Thank you Ruge, Min'ak," The tall Galra turned her head towards the commander, a few clicks of acknowledgment leaving her helm, "Your task is in the lower cargo bay, or if it's not it should be there within the next few doboshes at least." Ai'Rita told her, said Galra turning on long legs and leaving the room to complete her aforementioned task that was relayed to her earlier in the day.

Ruge turned and watched her sister in arms leave, a brow quirked up curiously at the one sided conversation that had taken place.

"What was that all about?" She asked, pushing off from the wall as the commander turned towards her. She lifted her hand up, thumb and finger pinched together like she was holding something small. Ruge walked closer, seeing a small device in between the pads of Ai'Rita fingers when she was close enough.

"What-"

"It's a bug, a listening device, found it under the bedside table after I woke up. The noise it made when it was on was bugging the hell out of me." She growled, not noticing how Ruge was holding back a small laugh. She could clearly see how her Va'li had rubbed off on Ai'Rita, whether the Galran woman realized it or not. "Theryk had heard two of our soldiers talking, nothing good as far as the prince was concerned and told me. Which means if my assumptions are correct those soldiers he heard were the same two that saved the Va'li for whatever reason and might've even tipped Voltron on our last location."

Ruge let a grin slip from her lips, "And they're meeting in the lower cargo bay where Min'ak is heading to take care of our little problem."

The corners of Ai'Rita's lips turned up ever so slightly, Lance picked his team well.

"If they listened in on you and the Va'li's conversation wouldn't they have already alerted Voltron of our position and whatever you two talked about?" Ruge asked, concern laced in her tone. Ai'Rita tossed the inactive device in the air, catching it again in her clenched fist.

"Normally yes, but Min'ak was able to identify the signal and cut it at a certain length so to speak, so that it seemed like the message went through when really it was cut off at a certain point before it could reach it's destination."

"Clever."

"I was impressed as well when she told me. It was decided thereafter that they would need to be dealt with and Min'ak volunteered. I'm sure she still hasn't forgiven the rebels for hurting her Va'li like they had."

"She is rather fond of him." Ruge quipped.

"That she is, I don't blame her." Ai'Rita said softly.

A thought occurred to Ruge, "Is she going to take them in alive? For interrogation purposes I mean." She asked.

"No, they can't be left alive, they know too much. After she's finished with them she'll need to grab whatever device they've used to communicate with Voltron and send a mirrored message of the prince's current location so that they won't suspect anything."

Ruge's brows pinched at that, genuinely puzzled.

"Why would we give up the prince's location? Won't they try to capture him again?"

"Relax, we know what we're doing, in fact we're counting on it. And if everything goes to plan they'll capture the Va'li as well, so there won't be any need to worry for the prince."

***

Min'ak crept up the cargo bay wall, using her limbs to reach on one of the high shelves where they kept ship parts and other tools for quick repairs. Her limbs moved in tandem and in a smooth rhythm as she snuck up on the unsuspecting pair that was talking in hushed whispers.

Her visor was on a heat seeker setting, two blobs of bright color in the midst of blues and purples. With them in her sights she crept up above from where they were standing, making no noise whatsoever, crouching over them like a gargoyle statue. Her silent movement was something most envied and feared and often times she had to purposely make noise to alert the others in her team of her presence.

She made her way directly above them, turning her head just right so she could hear them better.

"Are you sure the message was sent?"

"Positive, I'm sure Voltron got it, we just need to lay low like we've been doing and wait for their signal, then we can take the drop ship out of here before they notice we've even left. Not like anyone would after the chaos of the prince being taken resurfaces. And in a public place like the markets the news will travel like the wildfires of Draun."

"Are you sure no one knows?"

"I'm sure, stop complaining, we're Blades, we were trained for this, do you doubt your skills?"

Blades? How interesting.

"Of course not, but it never hurts to tread with caution."

"True. Can you believe the prince and the Va'li? Together?"

"You act surprised, of course the Va'li is the prince's whore, you think anyone of the royal family would keep a pet like that and not consort with it?"

She would have left them be to listen for more information, but her orders from the commander were quite clear; Deal with the infiltrators, dispose of the evidence, and send the mirrored message right after. If she wanted to ensure the plan went smoothly and that her prince and Va'li were unharmed she needed to deal with these two as such.

The fact that their words caused an unbridled anger to simmer under her skin may have hastened her decision as well.

Without hesitation she readied herself and dropped down on them both, each hand gripping their necks as they struggled to get her hands off, clawing at her hands and fingers in a frenzy, still a bit dazed from the surprise attack.

With a bit more pressure and a shake of her forearms they stilled with a sickening crack, falling limp in her hands. She dragged them both down further in the lower levels of the compound. Following the blueprints scrolling through her visor, she found her way to the incinerator they used mainly for trash, checking their bodies for any devices to help aid in their plans before she threw the bodies inside the Intense flames.

She watched their bodies get engulfed in the blue flames, making sure there was nothing left before she left the intense heat of the small room that housed the roaring fires, sending the premade mirrored message out to the labeled frequency it was marked for. Finishing that she walked up from the cargo bay back to the commander to inform her of her progress. Soldiers and others alike moving out of her way to give her room. Min'ak was arguably the most well known out of the Va'li's team, marked as the techie of the group and to those who were actually high enough in rank to know she was also dubbed the executioner. Going in and taking out those who went against the Va'li. She treated her work with precision, never once missing a target and ensuring that the Va'li was never harmed.

She would die before she ever let that happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Needed a chapter with my tol mama so I hope you enjoyed that!
> 
> I'm hoping to either include in this or small fins afters this how Lance's team came to be a team and such and why they fight for him. But for now I need to work on this!


	20. Afternoon Out (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can never catch a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost to the good parts.
> 
> Sorry for the long time no see, didn't have the motivation to write for the longest time. Anyways enjoy this chapter and the next ones to come!

After he had made his purchase Keith had left the bladesmith's stall, the tiny female giving him a friendly goodbye as he went along to his next destination with Neevah at his side and Hark and Theryk right behind them. Both were in their respective disguises, hiding their bodies and faces from public view.

The heat was nearly suffocating, the sun now it's highest in the sky and becoming a present source of pressing heat upon the planet and it's unfortunate inhabitants. The prince stumbled over his own feet from the oppressing heat, Neevah catching him before he could completely fall to the ground.

"Are you alright your highness?" She asked. His only answer was to nod and straighten himself up, continuing on even if the growing headache behind his eyes constantly protested against it. "Are you sure?" She added, concerned for her current charge.

"I'm fine, let's keep going." He said gruffly, shaking off her arm and continuing on. The others followed behind silently, each wondering about the prince's behavior in some way.

 

They managed to meet up with the Va'li a half a varga later, finding shelter under a low awning and getting themselves at least some reprieve, although not much, from the sun and heat while they waited a bit. Lance dismissed the others and placed himself at Keith's side as they walked through the large, crowded market street. He took notice of how heavily Keith was leaning against him, steps slightly wobbly as he walked beside him, parts of his dressings seemed soaked through with sweat as well.

Lance stopped their walk in favor of leading Keith towards some shade, the crowds getting unusually packed and forcing them into a small, quiet tavern. It was dark and cool inside, the air a bit muggy but it was a welcome relief from the dry heat from outside. The owner of the tavern was a large, brutish looking alien, having four arms and no eyes to be seen, black horns curved towards the back of their head.

"Something cool to drink, just a water and only one." Lance said, voice sounding deep and distorted through the mask. The bar keep nodded, moving to retrieve the drink as Lance looked around the place, noticing how empty it was save for a few patrons that lingered at the booths and tables scattered about. And yet it was the middle of the day, streets packed and crowded outside but inside as empty as could be. Now this he was expecting and properly prepared for.

But he played along with this little game in the works, leading the prince to a booth and tending to the prince as best as he could without appearing anymore concerned than a guard checking on his charge. The bar keep passed them the drink, quick to keep the interaction brief as they then went in the back.

Even as Lance let Keith have the drink, scanning it beforehand to make sure it was free of toxins, he still found himself readying for a fight. After all, a barkeep never did leave their bar unattended. And going to serve the customer directly?   
Unheard of.

He didn't have to wait long for his suspicions to be confirmed, reflexes quick on the draw as he threw the paladin that had tried to get the drop on him from behind over his shoulder and into the tables set up in front, the sound of splintering material a slice through the silence as he stood up from the booth to face the others, back to the prince as he positioned himself into a fighting stance. The prince seemed unbothered by the apparent trap they were in, choosing to instead focus on his drink and pounding headache that came with the noise and the utter exhaustion that seeped into his very bones. He'd been through enough in the past couple of months that he just didn't care to acknowledge what was going on right now. Confident enough in Lance's skills and abilities to trust him to take care of it.

Lance however, was just getting started, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he fought the other paladins that dared to face him, keeping the prince at his back and his peripheral when he could.

There were currently four paladins he had to worry about: Black, yellow, blue, and red, all of which he could see and more than a few of them looked not quite so happy to see him. Understandable of course, but would it kill them to look a bit less murderous in the face?

It was unflattering really.

And yet their faces were set in a determined look as one by one they rushed at him, each going in for an attack. It took no time for him to deflect their poor shots, one paladin falling just for another to take their place. The cycle repeated long enough for Lance to get suspicious, which wasn't that long considering a couple of ticks went by in the span of their so called fight. Something wasn't right about this particular setup.

Ah, he knew what was out of place.

The green one wasn't there. Of course it made sense, they were the smallest after all, less likely to be seen slinking about. And he was sure he didn't have to look far to find them.

"Hey asshole!"

Nope, not far at all.

He turned on his heels, fists clenching as he saw the green paladin standing before him. The prince was at their feet, arms behind his back and covered in several coils of their bayard. The look in their eyes promised fire as they dug a boot into Keith's back, the prince coughing dryly from the dust and dirt on the floor that his face was pressed against. He was getting real tired of this, he hadn't even finished his water.

"Stand down or else!" They threatened, tightening their grip on their bayard in warning, their current prisoner coughing sickly from the treatment.

Lance, as was expected of him, backed down, more concerned on keeping his charge from harm than anything else.

"Take them through the back, we'll sneak them both out to the ship. We don't want any more unwanted attention than we already have on us." The blue paladin said, her voice holding no room for argument as Lance was led from the tavern by the blue and green paladin, Keith stumbling in front of them., the yellow and red paladin staying behind to clean up the mess.

He pretended to ignore the less than favorable grip the black paladin had on his shoulder as he pushed him along with his Galran arm, the barest hum of energy lingering under the metal alloy and reaching his ears. It appeared he was still a bit sour from their first meeting.

As they wove in and out through back streets and deserted alleyways, coming out to the edge of the city where the trees settled and the beginning of a ship could be seen, Lance knew even with how short he planned on making this visit, it would no doubt be an interesting one.


	21. A Deal With The Devil Himself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Be smart with the deals you make

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Worked extra hard to finish this update!

"Did you hear?" Revra said out of the blue, looking towards Driya for an answer. Said woman looked up from where she had been eating prior, a questioning look on her face, all of her ears twitching with interest. "The paladins came back with the prince and Va'li, they won't let anyone near them though. Think someone's gonna try and off them and I'm sure if anyone of us had the chance we would. Lost a lot of good fighters that day." He continued, ending his talk solemnly.

There was a murmur among the rebels when the paladins had returned, the hangar doors closed to all and any hallways leading to the ship's holding cells shut tight. They had good reason to do it as well. Driya was sure if anyone had the chance they would see to it that the prisoners wouldn't survive a varga on the ship.

She did wish she could at least speak to the Va'li. Her curiosity as to why he chose not to kill her right away still burning at the front of her mind. She'd heard the talk among prisoners and soldiers alike. How the Va'li was ruthless against those wishing the prince harm, that she knew. Zarkon had allowed them to kill one of his own generals without so much as a bat of the eyes. Which had long ago prompted rumors of the Va'li being one of Zarkon's favorite pets so to speak.

Just another trained dog to do the empire's bidding and dirty work. How anyone could be convinced to follow through with such atrocities baffled her beyond her understanding.

A shove to her shoulder pulled her out of her thoughts, eyes looking up into similar ones full of concern.

"Are you okay? Do you need to rest?" Revra asked, he'd never seen his sister so silent. Quiet sure, she was naturally quiet, overall just soft spoken but never silent though. He wouldn't admit it frightened him, seeing his older sister so distant and seemingly cold to most things. Although she was still the same sister that had teased him endlessly when they were young, the war and her imprisonment had obviously changed her in ways he would never understand. And this recent fixation on the Va'li and what their motives for leaving her alive seemed to be just another thing he wouldn't be able to grasp.

"I'm fine Revra I promise, I'm probably just a bit wired from everything that's happened the past few spicolians. I'm sure with time I'll be able to handle it." She answered him, giving him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. It seemed to convince him enough to let her be for the moment, giving her a brief nod before leaving to converse with the others.

He didn't go too far however, wanting to keep an eye on the only family he had left.

***

Lance stumbled over his feet a bit as he was pushed into his cell, a force field coming up to cage him in, the blue hum of energy reflecting off his suit just enough to mirror a nice shade of blue, the glass of his helm glittering like far off stars.

The cell was just big enough to pace around in, the air cool and the blue accent lights that lined the floor giving the metal a cold gleam that seemed to bring more focus on the cool temperature. There was a low hum that sounded out differently from the current one, overlapping it into something louder. And with it his leg felt heavier than normal, actually everything felt a tad heavier than it had been a moment ago, like getting out of the pool after awhile kind of heavy.

"I've upped the gravity just a bit, don't want you getting out anytime soon now do we?" The red one said, sounding all too happy about that fact and looking smug about it as well. Both the red and black paladin looked at him for some sort of response, something to give them even an inkling of who exactly they were dealing with. But there was nothing he had to say to them, not now anyway. Besides, they'd be back in due time and by then they'd be ready to strike a deal whether they knew it or not.

He moved a couple paces to sit down in the center of the cell facing the wall away from the force field, criss crossing his legs in a seated position and getting comfortable.

Until the time came he'd wait, not like there was anything better to do.

***

"I've already told you what I know."

"You haven't told us anything!"

"Exactly."

Allura groaned, muttering angry curses under her breath as she pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, face set in a seemingly permanent frown. They had been trying to interrogate the prince for information for a few vargas now and getting absolutely nowhere. If they wanted to make this whole effort worthwhile they needed some damn intel that would help them hit the empire where it hurt. Putting a dent in their plans and slowing them down considerably. They could not let the lives of those lost be in vain and for naught.

She wouldn't allow it.

 

Keith squinted against the light, the brightness too much for his already sensitive eyes, ears twitching uncontrollably and flitting about uncomfortably, letting him focus in and out on different sounds separately and overall causing his headache to pound and ache even worse than it would have if there wasn't a sound to be heard.

He made to lift a hand so he could somehow try to ease the pain with touch alone, only to remind himself again that he was indeed a prisoner. Both hands were in charged cuffs behind his back, a rather uncomfortable position he wasn't too fond of leading up to this moment. And with the pink paladin, Allura he gathered(he remembers hearing that name a few times between Haggar and his father since Voltron had shown itself, although he didn't care to find out more), hard pressing him for information he didn't have, just raised whatever stress he currently had. Which must've been a lot if the sweat on his brow was anything to go by.

"You're telling me that as prince and heir to the Galran Empire and throne that you know nothing of it's happenings or locations of where they get their resources?" She seemed to spit angrily, disbelief apparent.

"Never paid much attention during meetings or lessons, they bored me." He answered her, head snapping to the side, his face holding a grimace at the sting in his cheek.

"Allura-"One of the others spoke up, making a move to placate her. She wasn't having any of it.

"A lot of good people died to bring you here thinking you would be valuable in the hopes of destroying the empire or slowing it down. But you can't tell me a damn thing because you were bored?" She spat, eyes alight with a simmering anger.

Keith didn't say anything for a moment, dragging his tongue over the fresh cut on his lip. Lance wasn't going to be happy about that.

"Your...efforts weren't all in vain. Or at least they gave a chance at being worth something. After all you did take two prisoners didn't you? I'm sure my guard would love to have a chat with you." He mocked, smile turning into a grimace when it reopened the cut on his lip and the taste of blood made his stomach roll uncomfortably.

For someone that looked delicate they sure were heavy handed.

One of the paladins, the yellow one he thinks, grabbed her gently and led her away, the green one following suit after them. Which left Keith alone in the small room, his eyesight terribly unfocused, vision swimming with colors and spots as he tried to keep the bile in his throat down.

***

The hiss of a door opening didn't even stir Lance as frantic sounding footsteps stopped before his cell, the owner of the steps breathing heavily and ignoring the voices of what he recognized as the red and black paladin coming from the entrance way. More steps sounded from behind them so he guessed the other paladins were here as well.

"You!" A female voice finally said, the one in pink he guessed, the blue paladin. He turned his head to the side questioningly, just enough to hear her better and keep her in the corner of his eye. And just enough to let her know he was listening.

"The prince said you're apparently the one to talk to in order to find what we need, is he wrong?" She asked, voice sounding determined and strained at the same time. Almost as if he was her last resort.

This was going better than he thought it would.

He turned his attention back to the wall before he answered her. "That depends on what you're asking for...and what you're willing to give of course." He said, waiting for her to speak.

"Allura please, we have the prince, we can just bargain with Zarkon-"

"That won't work." He said matter of factly, interrupting whatever the black paladin was trying to say. He could feel all eyes on him now, boring into the back of his skull. He knew they were confused, but anyone that actually knew Keith's history wouldn't be. And only three people knew, but out of the three only two knew the whole story, Lance included.

"On a list of priorities the prince doesn't even break top ten, so you'd be wasting your time." He elaborated.

"How do we know you're not lying?"

"You don't, but I know you also don't have the resources or people necessary to attack should you carry out your little plan if it goes awry and they get a handle on your location instead."

There was a loud bang as Allura brought her fist down on the force field, anger apparent from her aura alone. It almost made him flinch.

Almost.

"If that plan won't quiznacking work then I guess he's of no use to us, so tell us what we need to know or I swear I will eject him from one of our airlocks without so much as batting an eye!" She spat.

The only sounds were the hum of the field and her heavy breathing, the others seemed to hold their own breath, surprised by her outburst and waiting patiently for whatever was to happen next.

"Oh please, even the lowest scum knows he's still valuable. He's the prince of an Empire with allies and access to information that could destroy worlds. No use to you? Please you're not convincing anyone of your threats, I thought Alteans were diplomats? You hardly fit the part."

"Do you know the information that we need or not? My patience wears thin." She said, teeth clenched and eyes watering a bit as her anger rose.

"As I've said before, that depends on what you need and what you're willing to give. Decide that and I'm willing to give you what you ask."

The pink paladin paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts and thinking carefully before she answered this mystery that was the Va'li.

"What do you want in this exchange?" She asked him, blue eyes looking cold as she glared at the back of his head.

He got up with some difficulty, though hardly noticeable the effects of the increased gravity was there, walking over to face her with the wall of energy the only thing separating the two. The others behind her tensed, no doubt remembering the first encounter they had with him all that while ago.

"Just three things really-" Her eyes widened as she opened her mouth to protest, instantly cut off by him, "-I promise these are just small things and what I might have for you is worth that at least a hundred times over."

Lance watched as she paused for a moment, regarding his words before nodding.

"What are these...requests then?"

"First, I want the prince healed, you might've noticed he's been feeling a bit under the weather lately so there's no need to ask what of. Second I want to foresee him while he heals, you can have whatever guard dogs you need posted but I want to be there when he awakes as his protection and safety are my top priorities and responsibility. Lastly, I want something returned to someone. It's been a pain in my side you see so I'd rather not have it anymore."

"...That's all you want?" Allura asked bewildered, this...Va'li wasn't anything like she had imagined when she thought of the things he would say if she were to ever be unfortunate enough to meet him.

"That is all. And you?"

"We want the locations of any major transport and supply lines the empire frequently uses for quintessence transport. Any major communication frequencies and relays as well, assuming you can provide all of that we shall grant your requests." Allura promised, still skeptical of his earlier words.

"Done. Do you have a data pad?"

"Pidge." Allura called the green paladin over, said paladin producing a data pad seemingly out of nowhere and handing it over to the pink paladin quickly.

"Step back." She ordered him.

He complied, taking a few steps back and pausing as she turned the field off just quick enough to toss the data pad in the cell before putting it back up. Quick hands made sure to keep it from falling, Lance turning it over a few times to check for damage before powering it on and getting to work.

Someone was going to be royally pissed when this was all over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asked me questions about the fic or any theories you have, or just scream with me on tumblr: klancept


	22. Wouldn't Want To Wear Out The Welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And he left as soon as he came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be shorter but I figured you guys waited long enough that I just made it longer than it was going to be.

Two days had passed since the prince and Va'li's arrival and simultaneous imprisonment and it wasn't hard to notice that everyone on board was on edge because of it, the tension so thick in the air you could choke on it. The rebels were especially on edge, conversations going no higher than hushed whispers throughout the ship as they spoke of their...guests.

The paladins had taken turns watching over the Va'li carefully over the past two days, each taking shifts with another as the prisoner sat in front of the healing pod that housed the Galran prince. They hadn't moved an inch since they were allowed to stay in the med bay with the prince, sitting cross-legged on the floor with his hands laid in his lap.

Like this the paladins could view them without any obstruction, paying special attention to the suit, the most eye catching thing to notice about them. How the barely purple hue shine from the lights played on the black surface of the metal armor. The rich, pink-red accents gave the whole suit an air of mystery and foreboding dread. What really puzzled them was the claws, obviously synthetic and glowing eerily in the near dark room, it seemed odd to have such a thing on a Galra, maybe they were the type without claws? The shine of the helm reflecting the various shapes of light sources within the room, including those from the "ears" on their helm as well.

No one tried to make conversation with them or have a conversation with them present in general, finding it off putting to do so. And worrying they would end up giving away any information that would somehow lead to their destruction, no matter how small. So the room was always quiet save for the humming of the ship's engines and the occasional hit of a small space rock that had hit the side of the ship, creating a loud clang that startled anyone and nearly everyone on the current shift, disrupting the still atmosphere that blanketed the room.

The disruption continued when Allura walked in, steps echoing through the room pointedly, stopping a ways behind the Va'li as she prepared to speak. "You're coming with us to check these coordinates and fulfill the favor you had asked of us beforehand." She ordered, no room for argument.

The Va'li stood up without hesitation, calmly walking over to her and the other paladins that waited by her side and doing nothing in retaliation when the paladins gripped both of his arms by the biceps, letting them lead him out through the halls of the castle towards their next destination. They kept pace a few steps behind the pink paladin, following her into a spacious room, a large expanse of glass stretched out before them as a ways of viewing the stars that lay scattered across the inky black sky. Lingering aliens on either sides of the room that were scattered about soon quieted at the sight of the Va'li, whispers of fear and others promises of death reached them. However a look from Allura soon quieted them down, some even leaving the room to give them privacy.

Allura turned towards their prisoner, standing in front of various screens all displaying information, the most notable was the map of the different systems, holograms of planets floating by, some marked with a single or multiple blips.

"Every one of these blips you see is a coordinate you've given us, we're currently in the process of confirming a few of these locations you've given. However we were wondering if there might be more you can give us." She said, speaking straight to the point, watching one of the few of the Empire's icons standing before her, cuffed and at her mercy.

Or so she told herself.

She knew he was capable of getting out of their hold, however sturdy and effective those cuffs were she knew they were nothing compared to what this being was capable of.

The Va'li tilted his head to look at her, questioning.

"That depends on what you're willing to give. You know this." He said, voice sounding oddly mechanical and deep, likely a voice changer.

"What could you possibly want?" She said, sounding exasperated, irritated even though she felt she should have expected as much.

"A lot of things actually but I'll make it simple for you since I'm feeling generous."

"Lucky us." She said under her breath.

The Va'li ignored her, voicing the rest of his request, "Something to eat would be nice, considering I haven't eaten in two days, the room service could use some work."

"Coran, could you grab our guest here something from the kitchen?" Allura said through clenched teeth and voice strained, eyes pinched and glaring at their prisoner as she said it, clearly annoyed by their attitude.

A few moments later Coran came back with a plate of whatever they had cooked for the rebels beforehand. Using both hands the Va'li held the plate carefully so it wouldn't fall. And feeling satisfied with the look of the plate's contents he turned to look back at Allura.

"What is it you need to know?"

* * *

"When is he coming back? I'm bored." Ruge huffed, sprawled out over Ana's back, the Yupper having not moved from her spot on the floor since her master had gone. Theryk was sitting beside her, giving the forlorn looking animal some head scratches to try and placate her sour mood to at least keep her from snapping off at anymore drones. There was already a decent sized pile of drone parts from those that had ventured too close.

"The boss will be back when his mission is accomplished Ruge, you know this." Neevah said, trying to sound stern, but anyone who knew her long enough like they all did could hear the fond tone in her voice as she looked at the other female.

"Ugh, he's taking too long, any updates Min'ak?" She asked her teammate, sitting up against Ana's side.

The taller female was seated against a wall, lanky limbs more or less tucked in to keep anyone from tripping over her, a habit she couldn't seem to break out of, even with all the space surrounding her that the others made sure to clear for her. Min'ak shook her head in answer to Ruge's question, refreshing her inbox for any new incoming messages from their leader if he was able to send any.

"How long does he plan on staying there? Is he taking a vacation without us?! Rude!" Ruge exclaimed, face scrunched in a pout as she thought it over.

Theryk chuckled at her, running his free hand not petting Ana through Hark's hair, the smaller male in his lip murmuring softly as he slept.

Neevah watched them all silently, sparing a glance towards Min'ak who sat still as a statue. If it were anyone else she would've thought them dead given how still and unmoving she was. She rarely did anything when their Va'li was gone, and like Hark no one really knew what she did in her free time. But she had done more than enough to earn their trust and for that they gave her their own.

Neevah blew a breath through her teeth, leaning against a window that opened to the hustle and bustle among the many streets of Kemylomonjuk, the sun setting and creating a fiery scorched sky, marking the end of the second day of the prince and Va'li's capture.

Now they could only wait for their leader's next orders, skin buzzing with anticipation.

* * *

On the third day of the Va'li and prince's Allura was in the control room, checking over the scouts that had checked out any locations given by the Va'li, so far they had all checked out, the locations verified as genuine and not a trap laid out by him. Apparently the Va'li was very serious about the prince's well being and safety, something that had proven to be useful for Voltron so far. Although why he felt the prince's safety was worth betraying the Empire in such a way she'd probably never know.

She turned at the sound of hurried steps running into the room, spotting Hunk who barely took a breath before he spoke, "The prince is out of the healing pod!"

She didn't even allow him to finish before she was running out and to the healing pods. She arrived next to Shiro who looked a tad bit more on edge than he usually did, watching the proceedings before him.

The Va'li had caught the prince as he had fallen out, holding him in his arms, the unconscious Galra unmoving, breathing slow and steady, ears twitching unconsciously at every sound.

"Take them both into separate cells and provide food for the prince, we can't have him dying on us after just being healed." Allura ordered, Shiro and Coran going to collect the prisoners.

"That won't be necessary." The Va'li said, gathering the prince up in his arms more, the prince curling into the Va'li's chest with barely a murmur.

"You don't have a say in this." She said more sternly, eyes narrowing at him, flitting over their prisoner.

She noticed how he was holding him, one arm on the prince's back and another under his legs.

There were no cuffs on him, and a soft pink light was fading in and out where his hands were located.

"What are you-" She put her arms up to protect her face as a rush of wind and pure force met her, hair blowing every which way, ignoring the paladins behind her as she opened her eyes to look.

The room was now bathed in a harsh purple pink light, a much smaller version of a wormhole opening up behind their two prisoners.

"No!"

"I would love to stay but I have orders that can't be ignored, but don't you worry princess, we'll meet again." The Va'li said, two sets of arms, skinny and lanky looking dressed in large, loose sleeves emerged from the portal, grabbing around them both and pulling them into the void, the portal vanishing in a brilliant bright light right after.

When it was safe to look the paladins all looked at where their prisoners once were, the room now empty and looking as if no one had ever been there.

Shiro walked towards Allura, reaching a hand towards her shoulder, "Princess-"

She turned on her heel and left, a look bordering on murderous marring her face as she angrily walked back to the control room, silently fuming the whole way.

Quiznak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should be nice since I'll get to write the good bits I've been itching to write since forever.


	23. 1 Year Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot? Don't know the bitch.
> 
> Anyways I hope you guys enjoy this because he'll if I know what's going on anymore.

"Do we have to wear these suits? I feel ridiculous." Ruge muttered, scraping a claw lightly against her new suit of armor. It was apparently a "perk" that came with the rank of general, although if anyone had bothered to ask her she would've just said it was more of a nuisance than anything.

Neevah chuckled beside her, Theryk on her left and Ruge on her right, all standing in a line down the hall a ways from the prince's quarters.

The prince had an engagement with some high class officials he had to attend to, prompting the attendance of the highest guard in the empire, which was now bestowed upon the seven of them, the Va'li and Ana included. The Yupper was currently laid at Theryk's feet napping, having taken a shine to him the most out of anyone else on the team besides her master of course.

"If it's any consolation I think you look great Ruge." Theryk said, getting a small, barely heard snort from Hark on his left.

"Thanks Thery-wait a minute you ghaiu!" She said loudly, tone accusatory towards the taller male, ignoring Neevah as she tried to stifle her laughter.

"You all suck." She grumbled, getting back in line and muttering angrily to herself, picking or at least trying to pick at the collar of her armor. Although with it being solid metal it was hard to actually pick at anything.

"Has anyone seen Min'ak? I'm pretty sure when they said they wanted the highest guard here with the prince I assumed that meant everyone." Ruge asked. The tallest of the group had stalked off earlier, to where no one knew. If Neevah had to take a guess she'd probably say it was to check the perimeter and get a lay of the land, they were on another planet after all and they knew how particular she was when it concerned both the Va'li and prince's safety.

No sooner had her name been spoken she appeared, the tall huntress of a general appearing from above, landing from the ceiling to the floor with only a light tapping of feet, if only to alert her friends.

Friends.

A year and a half ago she wouldn't ever have imagined referring to this group as anything other than acquaintances or fellow colleagues. Now she couldn't imagine them being anything less than dear friends.

Min'ak stood before them, back ramrod straight and standing up to her full height. She had long since stopped trying to make herself seem small and meek, the opposite of what she actually was. And while she was still as silent as ever, apart from her usual clicks and on rare occasions whispered words to those closest to her, she now refused to let anyone push her around as they had in the past. Instead of making sure she took up as little space as possible she made sure others made room for her, refusing to be pushed around by other generals and even commanders. Although with the reputation she had built up along with the others it wasn't that hard to convince them a little or even at all to move aside.

Both her and Neevah now held the title of the prince's executioners, the murders of multiple generals that had been a little to close with the prince in the past, while it couldn't be pinned on them exactly, it was an unspoken truth that everyone knew they had something to do with them and yet many that had looked into the deaths had been unable to procure enough evidence to prove it, as they barely left any evidence or body for that matter behind.

"So miss tall, dark, and oh so beautiful, what have you been up to?" Ruge asked in a flirtatious manner, eyebrows lifting up suggestively in a ridiculous way. There was a light disgruntled rumble from Neevah, Ruge slapping at her armor clad arm in a light manner. "I'm just kidding love, lighten up a bit will you? You know you're the only one for me." She teased, easing the grumblings Neevah was making in the process.

Min'ak scanned through the information and readings she had taken while out on patrol, the report displayed in blue on her helm for the rest to see. The others besides Theryk, who had already sensed what she had taken notice of, crowded around to see better, Neevah's eyes flitting over it quickly, her signature scowl marring her face as she processed exactly what it meant. "Does the Va'li know about this?" She asked her, eyes trying to look past the blue display and ink black helm to see the other's face to no avail.

Min'ak nodded.

"What did he have to say about this?"

Min'ak seemed to still at the question, gathering herself enough until she was certain she could speak properly. "Stand down...wait for...next orders...proceed as...planned." She rasped, voice sounding soft and unused to speaking vocally. So rare it was for her to speak it usually meant something serious when she did.

"I wonder what the boss has planned." Neevah murmured, getting an excited huff from Ruge.

"Whatever it is it's going to be awesome!" She said gleefully, grinning from ear to ear as she pushed at Hark's shoulder excitedly, said male smiling at her infectious enthusiasm.

They couldn't wait.

***

Keith sat in front of the balcony window, enjoying the fresh, cool breeze from outside as Lance brushed his hair, the repetitive motion soothing on his nerves.

"You're nervous, what for?" Lance asked, voice clear since he had forgone his helmet to brush Keith's hair, creating graceful swoops that curled around the base of the galra's ears like smooth ocean currents.

"What we're about to do could get us killed."

"Nonsense, your only job is to sit and look pretty. And that's not too hard, you're a natural, doing it right now and you don't even realize it." Lance teased, smiling at the sight of Keith's ears flattening out over his hair, something that only happened when he was embarrassed around Lance.

Lance smiled to himself as he finished brushing through Keith's hair, fingers replacing the brush as dull nails scraped gently across his scalp, a rumbling throaty purr escaping him as he leaned back into the gentle touches.

"What if it doesn't work?" Keith asked after a few moments of silence, the breeze from outside causing dark strands of hair to fly out of place.

Lance took his time to place the strands back, looking down at Keith's face from where he was standing behind him, blue eyes looking through Keith as he remained thoughtful.

"Then we run far, far away."


	24. Meetings and Interruptions In Routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An intruder on the grounds? How curious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyye I managed an update!!! I also have links to a few pieces of art that I feel would benefit the reader's imaginations:
> 
> [Lance's New Armor](http://klancept.tumblr.com/post/166819370322/lances-new-suit-as-of-chapter-23-of-to-see-blue)   
>  [Keith's Armor](http://klancept.tumblr.com/post/166850707692/keiths-suitarmor-from-to-see-blue-skies-i-treat)   
>  [Theryk and Neevah](http://klancept.tumblr.com/post/167306313312/nearly-done-with-the-next-chapter-of-to-see-blue)
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and the little bonus art too!!!

The assigned generals straightened up as the prince left his quarters, their Va'li walking beside him. They saluted them both briefly, following in their steps as the prince proceeded to head to his meeting. Most of the higher ups didn't take too kindly to lateness.

Not that he much cared.

They could all give their complaints to his father if they were foolish enough to do so.

But he had to keep up appearances. And besides, one of his favorite cooks was on duty today, and she always made a special dish just for him, ever since he was little. So he figured he could bear the boredom that came with such meetings if only to enjoy her cooking.

They arrived at the double doors of the dining room currently arranged and fitted for the meeting, the Va'li stopping and holding up a fist, his team stopping abruptly as well, waiting for his next order patiently.

"Stand guard right here, don't come in unless you hear my order." He said, voice leaving no room for argument.

"Of course sir." Neevah said, saluting briskly, the others following suit after her.

"Theryk?"

"Sir?"

"Take Ana and patrol the southern corridors, I think you'll find it more entertaining than standing here, according to Min'ak."

The tallest general of the group nodded her head at Theryk, the second tallest saluting before leading the Yupper away with him after she had gotten her head scratches from her master, departing with a huff and wayward whine.

The rest stayed put as their Va'li and prince went through the doors, each one wondering exactly what their leader had in store. He gave no one any details, saying if everything went right he'd be able to tell them afterwards.

***

The dining room went quiet as his highness and personal guard came through the doors, the servants pulling out the prince's designated seat for him before bowing and leaving quietly to retrieve the food.

The officials that filled the table were dead silent, not chancing to look up, the Va'li an extremely intimidating presence at the prince's side, even to them. The events that transpired during the gala still fresh in their minds for some.

He was standing up straight, posture serious and poised like he was high strung and ready to fight to protect the prince at a moment's notice, his hands linked behind him, feet set wide and planted firmly on the ground. His whole being radiated intimidation and respect, his new upgraded suit even more intimidating with its contrast of black and blue in design.

No one spoke for a moment, until one of the officials, a high commander of his father's stood up and saluted, bowing slightly towards the prince in a show of respect.

"Your highness, we are honored to have you grace us with your presence today." She spoke warmly, her words sincere and heartfelt. He could see why his father favored her, her loyalty must've known no bounds. Just how far that extended to him was a mystery however. But he nodded his head towards her anyway, "I heard your mate had a kit? Is she doing well along with the kit?" He asked her. And as much as she tried to hide her surprise at the question he caught it anyway, awaiting her response.

"They are both healthy and well your highness, I appreciate your concern." She said, voice sounding strained, as if she was waiting for him to say something else, her anxiousness emanating in waves as everyone else at the table waited with bated breath.

It was no secret that Zarkon used less than desirable methods of getting his generals and commanders alike to comply with his orders if they defied him, or tried to anyway, using their families as leverage was not below him in the slightest. The phrase "Like father like son" came to mind, an earth phrase Lance had told him about long ago, said to explain that the son would be just like the father. Although Lance had assured him it did not in anyway apply to him, he was still a little put off by the fact that this general thought he was anything like his father to use her family as nothing more than pawns in a game. Yet he could understand her caution.

"Tell your mate I send my best wishes to her and her kit. Moving on from that are we going to get started on the matters at hand or sit idly with our tongues between our teeth?" He questioned, glancing around at the commanders that had chosen to stay silent.

"Of course sir." The commander he'd been talking to previously seemed much more relaxed as she took her seat, not exuding anymore nervous ticks in her behavior like she had when he had mentioned her family.

With that the meeting began.

***

Theryk walked down the southern corridors with a purpose, even if his demeanor and relaxed posture suggested otherwise. His large ears swiveled and turned from side to side, picking up every sound possible. Including a lone heartbeat in a hall that was supposed to be empty and devoid of any servants or other personnel.

Ana walked along side him, the Yupper's paw pads making soft, quiet thwaps on the shiny, cool floor. Her head was low to the ground, sniffing through the various scents with quiet huffs. Theryk kept a light grip on her collar, creating the illusion of Ana leading him as a sort of seeing eye dog. Which provided a good cover and ruse to trick the person just around the corner.

"Are you lost?" He heard whoever it was still, coming to a complete stop in their tracks. From what he could "see" they were female, smelled like a Galra with a little something mixed in, judging by the strength of the smell he guessed half Galran at least. She was lithe and a foot shorter than him, his frame towering above hers even from where he stood a few paces from her.

Ana growled threateningly, not taking too kindly to the enemy she could smell but not see.

He cleared his throat, "Are you lost?" He said a little louder, the female uncloaking herself if the lowering growls of Ana was anything to go by. She was always less agitated when she could see the enemy she was dealing with.

"I think I might just be." The female said, voice dripping with a sugary sweetness so obviously fake. "Do you think you could help me find-"

"Theryk!" Another voice called, said male perking his ears up at Neevah's voice just down the hall, behind his new acquaintance.

He heard the female curse lightly, watching her put away the hidden blades she had been ready to deal out to him, not that she would've hit her mark anyway, he was well aware of her hidden knives and more than knew his way around them. That which included dodging those meant to kill him. He wasn't a general for no reason.

"What are you doing here?" He asked calmly, scratching idly at ana's neck, the Yupper having sat down, tongue lolling and her posture and facial expression carefree, seeing as how they now outnumbered the enemy. And her keeping up the lowly mutt ruse was apart of the whole thing as well.

Clever girl.

"Came to check on you, make sure you were doing your job of course," He could tell she was lying, even with her heartbeat steady there was a buzz under her skin, something tight and contained and ready to pop out at a moment's notice to defend her brother in arms. She had obviously seen the knives this Galra female brandished, and thought it best to intervene.

"And who might you be?" Neevah asked her, getting close enough to the Galran female to land a killing blow in case she was foolish enough to try something. And judging by the distance between them and the various maneuvers the mystery female could possibly make Neevah had a total of at least fourteen choices to choose from, all of which had them triumphant in the end if she hit her mark.

And when it came to hand to hand combat she always did.

"Avilyn, it's nice to meet you two. I was only looking around and I guess I got lost. I came off the transport ship at the port."

She was lying, Theryk could tell, her heartbeat sending out frantic pulses that desperately tried to stay calm. She obviously didn't account for someone seeing her, let alone two.

"We'll both accompany you back to the transport ship then."

"Oh you don't have to! Just point me in the right direction and I can find my own way back." She stammered, obviously trying to shake them off.

"Oh it's no bother, we'd be more than happy to help! I insist!" Neevah had now gotten closer, grabbing the female's arm and gently leading her from the southern corridors and outside to the transport ship at the port, both waiting and making sure it took off with her in it before making their way back to their posts.

"Who was she?" Theryk asked her, seeing as how Neevah was actually able to see what she looked like.

"One of Lotor's whelps, if any one of them are here that means he's up to something. And if we look back at his track record it's not even going to be within distance of the realm of good." She cautioned, eyes focused as she walked with Theryk, Ana loping beside him.

They made it back without anymore trouble or wayward visitors, meeting up with the rest of the team just outside the meeting room door. Sounds of a struggle and strangled cries coming from behind it.

"I take it this is apart of the Boss's plan then?" Neevah questioned, looking up at Ruge who was currently on Min'ak back, arms thrown around her neck and legs wrapped around her torso.

She always said she liked to feel tall, and Min'ak didn't mind indulging in her fellow sister's little whims and fancies.

Neevah was in love with a dork.

A cute dork, but a dork nonetheless.

"Seems that way, he hasn't called us in yet so I guess that means everything's going well."

There was a crash, something like glass breaking and loud yelling from inside.

"Yes...I suppose so." Neevah sighed, skeptical as ever, although she trusted her leader with her life and his judgment more so she couldn't help hut wonder how this was in anyway something going right.

Guess she'd just have to wait and see.


	25. Catch and Release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally updated holy fuck

The air felt charged with electricity, prickles of tension rippling off everyone in the room in palpable waves. Everything felt strained and still, like the tiniest movement would set off a chain of events that would end up being irreversible. And with the scene in the room anyone viewing would have thought the same thing.

The prince sat in his seat, looking unruffled and oddly calm despite the destructive state of the dining room he was currently in. The table was in ruins as much as metal table could be, dishware broken and scattered throughout the room along with the utensils, puddles of drinks and piles of food. The commanders that were at the table were currently sprawled on the floor unconscious, some use they were.

Which brought him to another concern, or small nuisance really, the rebels that currently surrounded him with guns drawn, humming with charged energy, each aimed at him and ready to fire at a moment's notice no doubt.

Keith was fairly calm and poised though, not too worried about the weapons aimed at him when his Va'li had his own dual pistols aimed at the former princess of Altea that stood at the other end of the table, or what was left of it at least.

Her face was set and determined, blue eyes glaring dangerously into his, a look on her face like she wished to shoot him herself. Not that surprising with the fact that his father had destroyed her planet and wiped out her people like they were nothing. And she probably would have if she had a blaster, but instead she was armed with her bayard at her side, looking every bit as diplomatic and the embodiment of strength as she was most likely raised to be.

"You're coming with us Prince Kei'thak, so order your guard to stand down and come along quietly so no one else has to get hurt."

"I don't think that'd be in your best interest Princess." The Va'li said, gaining the attention of everyone in the room, most if not all having ever heard of the Va'li ever speaking before.

The princess moved her attention to the Va'li, who had two pistols trained on her and ready to fire at a moment's notice. The prince watching the proceedings with some interest, completely at ease.

It unnerved her.

There was no reason anyone should've been that calm in a situation like this unless they felt they had the upper hand. And it was how he felt he had it that concerned her the most.

"I don't think I was talking to you." She returned to the masked guard coldly, a frown marring her face as she looked at him, unable to see past his tinted mask.

"And I don't think I care enough to actually take that into consideration, now as I said before it would be in your best interest to not try and take the prince captive today."

"And pray tell why would I not?" She said, voice cold, glare unwavering.

"It's the prince's birthday today and if he were to go missing it'd cause quite a stir and Voltron would be the likely first suspect of course. And to draw you out they'd probably go after and destroy your precious rebels first. And knowing how you hold the value of life so near and dear you wouldn't let that happen or do anything to cause that." The Va'li answered her, reaffirming his grip against his pistols, the rebels raising their own guns higher in response.

Her gaze didn't waver, although her face settled in an even more grim appearance, her eyes betraying the heavy thinking she was doing in her head. The slight movement she made repositioning her bayard in her hand, her other clenched hand squeezing tighter, nails digging into her palm. She seemed to be contemplating something, fitting together pieces of a puzzle she still had no clue what it'd look like in the end.

And that only confirmed that _she_ got his message, no matter how subtle.

He should've known, they wouldn't have been here otherwise.

And knowing she was still alive even after all this time settled some sliver of hope in his chest, the grip on his guns tightening with a new drive.

"It would really make it easier on everyone if you just rescheduled this whole kidnapping at a later date, maybe a few days after? Just enough to let the excitement after the birthday of the Empire's beloved prince die down?" Said prince suggested, leaning back casually in his chair, and coincidentally the last surviving one in the room, ears barely brushing the suit of his appointed protector.

The princess looked at him with an incredulous look on her face, an almost comical look on one always so serious.

"Excuse me? Do you think this is some sort of game? Another one of your follies you can just call off and reschedule whenever you like?"

"Considering I literally can yes," He gave her a pointed look before continuing. "I'll give you coordinates to a rendezvous point in a system of neutral territory and we'll meet there where you can happily take me in as a prisoner if you so please." He offered, gold eyes staring unmoving at her from under dark bangs as he waited for her answer.

"Even if by some goddess forsaken miracle I were to take you up on that offer whose to say it wouldn't just be a trap with you having your whole fleet behind you?"

Of course she was right, there was nothing stopping him from using a fleet at his disposal to wipe them out if he so chose.

Except one thing.

"I'm indebted to you unfortunately, and to pay that debt in full I feel I can grant you my word on me going to a rendezvous point of your choosing instead and give myself up as a prisoner." He spoke calmly, ears twitching slightly at the sounds of the rebels giving out low, breathy mumbles of "liar" and "it's a trick" around the room.

"Quiet." She ordered, the room falling into silence at the princess's command. "What do you mean indebted? What is it that you owe me?" Her glare was still firmly set on him, cautious and curious all at once.

"You did save my life the last time we met."

Her eyes opened just a fraction wider at the realization; the healing pod.

The prince held a hand up, the Va'li putting one of his guns away to get something from his hip, the object materializing from the discs at his sides, placing the object in the prince's hands all while holding his still remaining gun steady and trained on the princess. "Now when you decide on the rendezvous point send me the coordinates with this." He tossed the object towards her, Allura catching it smoothly with her free hand.

"I'll be late to my own celebration if I don't leave now, so I'll see you whenever you choose to send the location of your chosen rendezvous point." He said, standing up from the chair and turning to leave, the Va'li putting away his own guns since there was no longer a need for him to keep up pretenses. The rebels all straightened up nervously, guns focused on their targets, blocking the exit.

The Va'li walked beside the prince as they left, the rebels being pushed out of the way by some invisible force.

Allura could pick out the small waves and slight shimmers as the rebels came into contact with whatever force was pushing them, a telltale shimmer and glow coming from the Va'li's suit, recognizing it instantly.

High grade energy shield.

No wonder the prince was so calm with the situation, they couldn't have hurt him if they tried.

She raised a hand up, silently commanding the rebels to stand down and let their almost prisoner walk out of the doors that closed behind them.

They'd get him soon enough.

***

"I take it the meeting went well then?" Neevah questioned with a slight upturn of the lips, eyeing the mess of the dining room and lingering rebels inside.

"As well as it could be." Her Va'li answered in place of the prince, Lance noticing how the prince seemed a bit more distracted and distant after his conversation with the princess and possibly wouldn't want to talk at the moment.

"Ready the ship to go, we're leaving immediately." Lance ordered, watching Ruge and Hark leave for the ship after a quick salute, Neevah and Theryk staying with their leader and prince as they continued to the ship at their own pace, Min'ak nowhere to be seen, having disappeared a few doboshes earlier and leaving the others wondering where she could've ran off to.

They arrived at the large ship within a few doboshes, boarding it and heading straight for the bridge, Min'ak standing tall next to Ai'Rita with Hark and Ruge as she waited for her leader and fellow comrades.

"Get the engines ready for departure, the prince has boarded!" Ai'Rita ordered, a few soldiers running to follow through with her command. She greeted the prince quickly but respectfully, going back to her work a few ticks later.

"Keep me updated on our arrival, I'll be in my room, don't disturb me unless it's an emergency." Keith said curtly, turning on his heel to walk briskly to his room, Lance following at his heels, his team staying on the bridge to help the commander, knowing their places were not at the prince's sides like the Va'li was.

 

When the doors hissed closed and locked behind them Keith let himself sink unceremoniously against Lance, pressing his face at the collar of his armor, ignoring the uncomfortable press of metal against his face.

"You okay?" Lance asked quietly, hands resting at Keith's waist.

Said prince only let out an incoherent murmur in response, leaning himself heavily against the other.

"Reached your quota of words for the day?" Lance chuckled, rubbing synthetically clawed, armor clad fingers in small circles against Keith's armor clad hip, more to ease himself than Keith really. What they did, what they're doing could get them both executed, even given the circumstances of life debts. Helping the enemy was seen as traitorous, no matter what.

And even under many different circumstances the outcome for the traitors was always the same...death.

Keith nodded, letting Lance lead him to the bed, not doing anything to stop him from removing the chest piece to his armor, Lance doing the same with his own and removing his helmet as well, joining his prince on the bed in a tangle of limbs.

"You know you have a few more hours of socializing for your celebration right?" Lance reminded him, pressing a soft kiss at Keith's jaw.

Said Galra groaned, turning his head towards Lance's warm kisses, clearly unhappy with the thought of having to continue his day late into the night for his birthday celebration.

He'd rather just have a quiet night to himself and more so with Lance at his side, especially with everything that had transpired.

But being a prince to an Empire that was too much to ask for apparently.

"How about we take a nap together and wake up in a few hours refreshed hmm? Sound good?"

Keith turned his body over towards Lance, limbs wrapped over him and face buried in the soft junction of his neck where neck and shoulder met, a low rumbling purr coursing through him at the idea, already halfway there.

Lance laughed, something light and muffled into dark hair, a hand coming up to scratch idly at Keith's ears just the way he liked but would never admit out loud.

Or at least wouldn't admit louder than his purring would allow.

Lance sighed into Keith's hair, eyelids heavy yet still refusing to fall asleep like Keith had, knowing he'd only wake up at the drop of a pin anyway. One of the perks of being a specially trained body guard he guessed.

Paranoia concerning his charge's safety.

Usually severe enough to have him on edge and awake for days continuously. Wasn't the healthiest but he managed, body long since adapted to the changes at such a young age.

He looked at his gloved hand, thumb rubbing idly at the raised bump of metal around his finger, barely noticeable with the under garment of his armor on. His attention soon left it when Keith huffed, clearly unhappy he'd stopped his scratching even in sleep.

Pressing a small kiss to his temple Lance continued his ministrations soon after, low purrs resuming through the Galra's chest as they both settled down.

***

"How did you end up here?" Acxa asked, pulling Ezor up by the hand onto the ship, the ship doors closing behind her as they flew up and out of the planet's atmosphere. They had come to the set rendezvous point on the planet where the meeting between the prince and some of Zarkon's generals was to take place, quickly making a detour when they received a transmission from her relaying her coordinates that put her halfway across the system, opposite of where they were waiting.

"Got caught before I could gather anything-"

"You got caught? How?" Zethrid interrupted, disbelief evident in her voice, Narti standing a ways behind her and watching the proceedings with mild interest, Kova even perking up as the feline sat on her shoulder.

It wasn't everyday their master spy got caught.

"Some tall guy and his Yupper, damn thing must've smelled me and gave me away. Think he was blind though." She mused, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Those hallways weren't supposed to have staff." Acxa pointed out.

"He wasn't staff, armor looked custom made, probably a general, no idea for who though. Not going to lie it looked pretty sweet, think we can get ours redone?" Ezor said excitedly, eyes lighting up at the thought.

"Not anytime soon I'm afraid Ezor."

"Lotor!"

The generals all straightened up and saluted, Acxa filling him in on what had transpired and the reason for their little detour.

"So you weren't able to get any information regarding the meeting taking place with the young prince present?" He asked smoothly.

"No sir."

"I see. Well then, it is my little brother's birthday, let's pay him a visit shall we? After all, what kind of brother would I be if I didn't give him my well wishes?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If my writing goes in the right direction I think it's going there should be a fight scene between some certain generals I've been planning for awhile.


	26. Fights Can Be Quite Revealing To One's Character

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Min'ak beats ass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmm enjoy

The stands surrounding the arena were full, spectators and onlookers cheering and yelling at the fight below. A new champion and his latest opponent facing off together for the entertainment of thousands, the excitement in the air only multiplied by the fact that their beloved prince's birthday had fallen on this day.

Among the crowd a group of five stood, a red hand among them pointing at a few figures scattered about in a uniform pattern around the arena.

"That's the guy that caught me, and the female over there was with him." Ezor spoke, looking back towards the other four to gauge their reactions.

"There are at least two more with similar armor, a unit like us perhaps?" Acxa spoke up, taking a few steps forward to stand next to Ezor, eyes flitting from each uniformed Galra in a pattern. There was something off about them that she couldn't quite put her finger on. But she had no time to dwell on the uneasy feeling however when Ezor made another pointed observation, catching the attention of Lotor who had stood watching them from a few paces back with Narti and Zethrid at his side.

"Hey, who's tall, blue, and handsome over there next to your brother?" She commented, eyes bright with interest as she looked at the masked mystery draped in various blues and blacks, that stood ever so silently next to the stone faced prince.

Lotor spared a glance at where Ezor was looking, humming thoughtfully to himself as he did, the barely there hints of a smirk on his face.

“How interesting.” The roar of the crowd doubled, and his eyes glanced down at the arena below, the opponent nothing more than paste and the current champion raising their arms to call on the crowd and revel in his victory.

“Zethrid.”

“Yes sir?”

“Why don’t you give the prince a show? It is his birthday of course.”

A smiled graced Zethrid's face, a grin full of teeth and fangs shining in the light.

“With pleasure.”

* * *

Keith watched the fight with a less than interested expression on his face, not too keen on the bloodbath being made in his honor. He’d long since lost interest for any of this, he’d rather be in his quarters, surrounded by the silence and in bed. Or maybe training, even after a year he still felt a bit on the slow side with his skills. Like they weren’t exactly as polished as before.

Recovering from the quick healing of his illness had been more of a process than anything. And even if he was grateful to be alive he had gotten more than a bit frustrated at his slow progress. Often in such a bad mood he’d snap at anyone that got too close. During those moods Lance would stay silent while he stood vigil over him, something that made Keith feel guilty afterwards even if he had never once directed his anger at Lance.

Lance often brushed off Keith’s apologies since his anger had never been aimed at him. Plus he knew Keith didn’t much like conversation or loud sounds when he was in one of his moods. Instead he’d suggested they spar as an outlet, something to get his body back up to par and let off steam at the same time.

Lance had sparred with him more than a few times after that. He’d gotten a lot better with his footwork because of it, which made sense. Lance had naturally long legs and footwork was bound to improve if you lived as long as he had fighting in the arena. Dodging the hits and attacks of larger opponents with barely a pause to catch your breath. He couldn’t fathom what would’ve happened if he hadn’t.

Keith found himself distracted from his thoughts at the sound of Lance’s low voice, his ears twitching as they caught the soft sound even above the muffled roar of the crowd. His fingers idly scratched gently through Ana’s fur, the Yupper having laid her head on his lap, the rest of her sitting politely on the floor in a well behaved manner. A small huff left her at the gesture, yawning sleepily before she settled down again.

The high energy field Lance’s suit generated muted the sound around them at his will and Keith was thankful for it. He hated loud, continuous sounds with a passion, crowds more so. His eyes glanced over towards his masked lover, ears relaxing ever so slightly as he set his eyes on him.

“Hm?” He hummed, letting Lance know he’d heard him call for him.

“You look bored.” Lance stated, standing impossibly still next to him, looking as stoic as ever from the outside.

“Am I not supposed to be?”

“Usually…no. But you’re a special case.”

Keith chuckled softly, ears fluffing up just a bit at the light, joking tone in Lance’s reply.

“I believe your brother's here to wish you a happy birthday as well.” Lance said out of the blue, catching Keith’s attention and directing him with a nod of his head, looking down into the arena.

Another Galra had entered the bloodbath of an arena, walking towards the new champion with a sinister grin. She was female and one of Lotor’s generals no doubt, what most among Zarkon's ranks would consider a “half breed” by her looks alone. Large ears, and vibrant colors on her face, unlike her “full blooded” brethren. She was as tall as an average Galra he guessed, the way she walked she seemed to fancy herself taller.

Her quick victory over the champion who was twice her size proved she’d earned that right.

Interesting.

Lance could guess where this was going, even before she glanced at the others on his team and opened her mouth, the words of a challenge she wanted accepted by one of his team.

The crowd had fallen unusually quiet, the kind of quiet that should’ve been impossible with the amount of Galra present. All waiting in anticipation for whatever happened next.

Waiting for the Va'li's generals to make the next move.

To everyone’s surprise it was the Va’li who made the next move, stepping forward so he could be heard clearly.

“Is this really what you want?” He asked her, his stance intimidating, voice loud and clear as he spoke.

“I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t.” She answered him, grin showing off sharp teeth as she looked up towards him, face set in one of malice and promises of broken bones or death for whoever chose to face her.

She was confident.

That would be her downfall.

“Very well then, Min'ak?” He called out.

A look of surprise crossed her face for a split second, barely noticeable to the untrained eye. But being with Keith as long as he had Lance had learned to pick up on and spot the small details that helped him to navigate through Keith’s whole demeanor and behavior, which was especially useful when he wasn’t in a talking mood.

She probably thought he was going to be her challenger after he had brought himself forward.

He was almost sorry to disappoint.

Almost.

Her eyes glanced around the stands at his generals, probably wondering which one would move forward as her opponent this round.

There was the sound of rushing air, drawing everyone’s attention up above them. Just in time to see Min’ak drop from the highest point in the arena's ceiling, landing with barely a sound. Her landing looked odd to the standard outsider, legs posed in such a way it seemed she had landed doing the splits.

Until she stood up however, body reaching higher and higher as she stood up from her bent legs, what had been thought to be splits was merely her legs bent at the smallest angle, her tall form poised in a relaxed, nonchalant manner, arms at her back and legs together, head tilted in a questioning lilt towards her Va’li.

The Va’li said nothing, merely nodding his head towards her as a silent go ahead.

It was all the incentive she needed, taking no extra time before she ran straight towards her opponent, hand out in front of her to land a blow. She was surprised however, when they actually caught it.

Surprised but easily thwarted.

Her claws curled over their hand, holding the smaller Galra’s hand in a bruising grip as she used her body weight and momentum to throw them over and behind her, slamming her opponent into the ground a good few yards away.

A cloud of dust rose as the sound of metal groaning under the force of her opponent’s weight met her ears, claws unclenching at her sides and eyes watchful through it all.

And with good reason.

She emerged from the cloud of dust with an angry snarl, face contorted into one of rage but with a smile full of pure malice topping it off as she came closer.

“I’m going to snap you like the twig you are!”

The only response Min’ak gave was to set herself in a readying pose, the other general running full force towards her and landing blow after blow.

Or at least trying to.

Min’ak was dodging the blows easily, moving from side to side like some graceful puppet being pulled by imaginary strings. Her own returned blows struck the other lightly, only enough to make her stumble, teasing hits made to taunt and anger and hitting their mark on the bulls eye figuratively and literally.

Her taunts worked, the large eared Galra female letting out an enraged roar as she charged, feigning left and catching Min’ak on her right side, the taller stumbling out of the way. She caught herself before she could fully fall over, sweeping her legs out as Lotor's general came around back to land a hit on her. She fell with a pained grunt, making sure to twist her body in just a way to land on her feet, a growl leaving her throat.

They both stood at a standoff, each watching the other closely to anticipate their next move.

The crowd was still silent as ever, watching the two generals face off in tense silence, suspenseful anticipation blanketing the air and creating enough tension to cut with the sharpest blade.

Before anyone could blink they were running at each other again, a loud thud echoing through the arena when they met at the middle, each holding the other at their hands and holding their ground. Min’ak’s height didn’t seem to hold anything over the other general, being able to hold her own pretty well against the taller of the two.

As it was they seemed to be evenly matched, arms straining against the effort to hold the other at bay.

A tiebreaker had to happen at some point.

And it came in the form of Lotor’s general twisting her arms, catching Min’ak off balance as she pulled the taller down and behind her, using her elbow to smash the back of her head with enough force that she fell to the ground, head smacking into the ground with a resounding crack.

A pin could have dropped and the sound would have echoed through the arena if one had dropped right then, the silence deafening in the way only silence could be.

Claws scraping the ground pulled the crowd’s attention to the fallen general, Min’ak getting up from the ground carefully.

Gasps rolled through the crowd as their eyes fell on her.

Her left arm was twisted, bent at an unnatural angle, elbow turned and bent in all the wrong ways at a sickening angle.

Her helm was cracked, ribbons of sharp cracks crawling across the entirety of it as she turned to face Lotor’s general, a low hiss leaving her mouth from behind the mask.

Min’ak turned to look down at her arm, head tilting in a more curious than concerned matter as she looked it over, lifting her arm up as far as the twisted, mangled thing would allow.

 

“What are they doing?” Ezor said to herself quietly, Acxa watching closely with her, the others looking with rapt attention as well at the events unfolding below them.

Lotor especially paid close attention to them, watching with a curious gleam in his eye. He hadn’t known about his brother’s generals, or anything else dealing with the youngest for that matter. His banishment having included any news of the empire’s status be withheld from him.

Cutting off the weak link his father had called it, to ensure the empire stays strong.

It was only because of his father’s “sickness” that he had been called to come back by Haggar.

This would be the first he’d properly seen of his brother since they were just kits. And while he hadn’t been able to see him in person he had people on the inside to inform of events dealing with his dear brother when they could.

The reason for his personal visit was far from just a family reunion however.

 

  
Loud snaps and cracks echoed through the silent arena as Min’ak purposely twisted her arm back into place on it’s own, the bones turning and twisting under her armor unnaturally to fit back into place. She flexed her claws as if to test their movement, moving her fingers to flow freely and fluidly in varying patterns of motion.

Up in the stands Lotor’s generals flinched at the sounds, faces twisted in different levels of disgust while their leader remained indifferent. The crowd’s reactions were pretty much the same.

A look of surprise went across Zethrid’s face as she watched from where she stood, Min’ak’s face never once turning to look away from her own, she could just barely make out the speck of her reflection out of the mess of cracks on the other’s helm if she looked hard enough.

Min’ak could barely see through her helm as it currently was, lifting the same hand on the arm that had been injured and curling her fingers over the helm, claws digging in to breach the seam and remove the helmet with a hiss of air.

Pale skin.

Dark feathers.

Mottled spots.

Icy blue eyes.

This was the long hidden face of one of the famed executioners under the Va’li’s command.

Pale violet blue skin stood stark against everything else, short dark feathers sprouting from the head starting from just under the outer corners of her eyes and moving up, dark, near black spots speckled on her high cheekbones and sides of her face like drops of rain. Her eyes were otherworldly altogether, a extremely icy blue with a black ring around the iris and a dark slitted pupil in the middle of it all.

Min’ak threw the now useless helmet to the side, the sound of it hitting the ground echoing off the arena walls.

Her steps came next, each one sounding louder than they should have been. Than she had ever allowed as she circled the half Galra general that now locked eyes with her and mimicked her movements, both now circling each other and waiting for their moment to strike.

Min’ak watched her closely, her unsettling eyes unblinking as they flitted to look over her opponent carefully, zoning in on their large ears.

Zethrid could’ve sworn she saw the tell tale gleam of teeth as she smiled. But in the next tick after Min’ak was racing towards her, claws outstretched and pointed. An easy dodge, or would have been if she hadn’t doubled over, a sharp ringing in her ears causing an instantaneous headache that pierced her skull.

It was that moment that Min’ak took the opportunity to land a hit squarely in the center of the other’s chest, the barest hint of a smile on her face as she watched and heard their body collide with one of the pillars in the arena, metal bending under the force.

Without missing a beat she sauntered over to the fallen general, grabbing the other’s face within her hand and lifting them straight off the ground, only to throw her halfway across the arena with tremendous force, coming to lay unmoving below the box where the prince was seated and watching.

“Are you done?” A familiar voice asked, in a tone that was always more curious than annoyed given the phrasing.

A short salute and bow of the head to her prince was all the answer she gave, walking towards the exit of the arena with silent steps, crouching down to keep from hitting her head on the top of the doorway, the sound of the crowd’s deafening cheers echoing behind her.

* * *

In one of the more private viewing boxes above the crowd a viewer sat, having watched the events unfold with her own eyes. Delicate looking claws scratched softly through downy feathers, soft coos leaving softer lips as they cooed sweet nothings to the bird like creature in their lap.

Said creature merely growled affectionately, stretching their neck up so she could reach just where they liked it.

“He’s picked his team well hasn’t he darling?” She asked her pet, gold eyes and slitted pupils glowing eerily in the dark as she looked down below where the prince sat and his guardsman stood.

Her pet merely chittered in response, settling back down for a nap when she paused her affections.

“I do hope we can get a word with him, it has been so long since we’ve last seen each other after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full offense but removing your helmet and revealing your identity to everyone with the same arm some bitch tried to break is the biggest power move of the century.


	27. A Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More focused on Allura and her suspicions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmm next chapter is already halfway finished the so expect that soon after this.

“So what? We’re just supposed to sit here and wait for the prince to call?” The rebel leader, Dalyu if Allura remembers correctly, said incredulously, motioning a three fingered hand towards the small device on the table that the princess had set down.

“No, in fact we’re the ones who call him. He said he’d rendezvous at whatever coordinates of our choosing and give himself up.” Allura explained.

“And you believed him? Just like that?” The leader scoffed, crossing his arms and standing tall as he looked down on her. “We had him in our grasp and you just let him go?”

“Even if we wanted to bring him in we wouldn’t have been able to touch him. His bodyguard had a high grade energy shield on, so any capture we were planning would have come out fruitless.” She snapped, hands clenched against the table, eyes boring into the rebel leader with a seething glare.

“Our best chance of getting the prince now is this,” Shiro motioned towards the device, simultaneously interrupting the argument from going any further. “We figure out where we want this to go down and come prepared for anything, we expect the unexpected. That way if it is indeed a trap we have a higher chance of making it out alive. And if it’s not well I guess we have a prince.” Shiro finished, looking towards both leaders for any sort of confirmation. A firm nod and vocal acceptance from both was all he got. Which was better than any alternative he thought of.

The meeting ended with that, the rebel leader leaving to his duties on the base. They had temporarily set up shop on one of the larger rebel bases, the planet they were on so far out the Galra hadn’t touched it yet, making it more or less neutral territory in that regard while providing a safe base of operations until they could properly plan their next move.

Allura stood at the table still, face wrought with a contemplative expression with some underlying anger at the rebel leader too if Shiro had to guess.

“What’s wrong?” He asked carefully, waiting patiently for her to acknowledge him.

“I need to talk to that rebel, the one that gave us the data from their inside source. There’s something bothering me about the way the Va’li spoke and I think it has something to do with them. Did you happen to catch their name?” She looked to Shiro for his answer, the older thinking back to when the tall rebel soldier had gone up to him.

“I think his name was Revra, I’ve seen him around the base a few times. He tends to his sister if my memory serves me right.”

“Any idea where he could be?”

“He’s a soldier so it’s likely he’d be in the barracks in the lower levels.”

“Good, make sure the officers and the leader is kept busy, I’m going to pay Revra a visit. I’m curious as to how he got the information of the prince’s exact whereabouts on that day. It couldn’t have been cheap and I’m wondering who exactly his inside source is.” She explained, leaving Shiro in the meeting room, a puzzled look on his face as he watched her go.

  
The soldier barracks were located in the lower levels of the base near the entrances, dorms of sorts placed in a uniform row of rooms that acted as the rebel soldier’s living quarters.

It took a bit of asking around, even for her, before Allura was able to locate Revra. Apparently he either kept to himself or cared for his sister, not really mingling with the others much or at all for that matter.

She knocked on the door to the assigned quarters where he and his sister resided, startling when the door opened after the first knock.

“Forgive me, but I was wondering if I could speak to Revra?” She asked politely.

“I am he, Princess.” Revra said, bowing slightly towards her, his height making it somewhat difficult. “To what do I owe the honor of such a visit?”

“I was hoping to speak to you concerning a sensitive matter, privately if that’s possible” She added, ears twitching at the low whispers around them.

Revra gave her a nod, stepping aside to let her in.

As he closed the door Allura took a moment to glance around the living space. Many blankets and pillows were strewn about the space in makeshift beds of sorts, trinkets lining the base of the walls below drawn pictures taped to the metal.

“I assume this isn’t just a leisurely visit?”

“No I’m afraid not.” Allura spoke, sitting on one of the cushions that Revra motioned to on the floor, her hands in her lap as she sat across from him. “I was hoping to find out more about your inside source, I’m curious as to how specific information like that was acquired.”

Revra took a moment before he spoke, seemingly steeling himself. “In all truth Princess Allura I’m not sure myself.”

“What do you mean?” A puzzled look crossed her face, waiting for his answer.

“The information I gave to you a year ago I got from my sister, who hasn’t spoken since. And I’ve tried.” His face was pained, clearly distraught that his own blood refused to speak to anyone, him especially.

Allura was aware that his species was family oriented, extremely so. Bonds far stronger than any other she had seen or heard of. And for something like this to happen, one refusing to even speak to their sibling no less, was unheard of.

“Do you have any idea why she stopped speaking?”

He shook his head, dread-like appendages shaking. “After she gave me the data she went quiet, her eyes seemed empty and she’s never been the same since.” His voice was strained, pain evident on his face, like he was struggling to hold his composure even after all this time.

“I’m sorry to ask this of you, but could I try and speak to her? I need to know who her source is if she has one. If we truly do have an ally behind enemy lines our continued relationship with them could prove vital.” Allura asked.

A few moments passed in silence before he nodded, helping her up off the soft cushion seats before leading her into a back room.

It had the same setup as the front room, layered with blankets and pillows in a nest of sorts, built in such a way whoever was sitting in it could face the window.

And occupying that spot was Revra's sister, sitting up with her back ramrod straight, appendages tied up in a decorated scarf. She was layered in warm blankets that were draped down her back in a colorful assortment of soft fabrics and cloths.

“Driya, Princess Allura is here to speak to you.” Revra spoke softly, bent on a knee as he placed his hand on her arm.

She didn’t even twitch, eyes staring blankly into nothing. She made no acknowledgement that she had even heard her brother.

“You can try and talk to her, sometimes she’ll communicate in ways other than speaking.” Revra said quietly, taking one last look at his older sister before he left the princess with her, opting to give them both privacy to talk.

Allura sat herself down in one of the cushions in front of Driya, hands folded neatly in her lap as she prepared to speak.

“Revra says the data he gave to us he got from you.”

She didn’t even blink, not once acknowledging that she knew the princess was even there.

“I was wondering if you could tell me how you obtained sensitive information like that. Do you have someone on the inside? Can we contact them?”

Again there was no answer.

Allura was about to get up when Driya moved, retrieving something from her person. A handle of a blade was held out to Allura, who grabbed it, marveling at the details and craftsmanship of the weapon now in her hands.

“What is this?” She asked puzzled, wondering why Driya would give her this knife in lieu of an actual answer.

Driya said nothing, staring blankly out of the window at the afternoon sky, the bright colors playing colorful patterns on her skin. The only movement from her was of her messing with a ring on her finger, the metal of silver veins and black in color.

Allura, realizing that this was as much as she was going to get from the other, got up to leave and met with Revra in the front room, holding out the knife to him.

“Did she say any-“ He cut himself off once he viewed what she had in her hand, eyes going wide.

“Where did you get that?”

“She gave it to me when I asked her who her inside source was, is this important?” Allura asked him, the other ignoring her to rush up to see the knife, taking it gently from her hands and looking at it from all angles.

“The last time I saw this blade I had plunged it into the Va’li’s side.”


	28. Buzzkill of The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visit most unwelcome and plans to depart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only took me years to update jfc.
> 
> No promises for the timespan of the next one.

Bright lights.

Bright colors.

Loud music.

Louder crowd.

Everything Keith hated about parties and here he was, sitting through it all with a fake smile on his face as he greeted the few guests that came up to greet him. Thankfully with Lance at his side most weren’t too keen on going up to him, especially after the events that had transpired at the Gala. Afraid of making a wrong move and having their heads end up on the floor before they could blink.

But when he wasn’t greeting guests he was sitting upon the makeshift throne and watching the proceedings with fake interest. He’d much rather be someplace quieter and less crowded. He wished his mother’s garden had survived, back on the ship it was the only place where he could go to find some form of peace.

Of course he wasn’t totally alone.

Lance was always there for company. Usually spewing small stories of past incidents he’d get into back in the mines or whatever he could remember of his family. But more often than not it was him spitting out bad pickup lines to get a smile or laugh out of the normally quiet prince.

Keith didn’t much see them as bad pickup lines, most were actually clever and he was grateful for the distraction. Apparently what was considered bad as far as pickup lines went Keith always found himself blushing at the most, struggling to hide his wide smile behind his hand.

He was brought out of his thoughts by a voice speaking out in front of him, gold eyes looking over what he assumed to be one of his brother’s generals given the uniform. Her skin was a light shade of blue, hair just about covering one of her eyes, posture held professionally as she addressed the royal prince before her.

“Pardon?”

“Prince Lotor would like to request your presence in the gardens at once Prince Kei'thak, he says it’s of utmost importance.” She said, speaking briefly and to the point.

Keith tapped his claws against the throne in a measured motion, taking a moment before he nodded curtly and stood up to follow her, Lance right on his heels behind him as they were led out of the ballroom and towards the gardens.

The gardens here weren’t as extravagant as his mother’s back on the other ship, but it was nice and quiet, filled with the prettiest plants from nearby planets that only he was privy to.

When his brother wasn’t present to invade his space.

Just outside the garden doors she stopped, turning towards them and eyeing Lance beside him.

“Lotor requested that he only speak to you.” She reminded him.

Keith waved his hand, dismissing Lance to the side with barely a look, the other standing by the door with his back to the wall to wait until his return.

As soon as the door closed behind him, one of Lotor’s generals appeared before him, her colorfully tattooed face lit up in innocent curiosity.

Or as innocent as she could appear.

He wasn’t going to let her naïve appearance fool him, he’d gotten the reports from Theryk and Neevah about her.

“I love your suit! Did you get it custom made? Did you design it yourself? What’s up with your team? And who are you anyway? Are you some sort of guard for the prince?-“

She prattled on, Lance watching her from his visor as she continued her rambling. He was more than happy when she was interrupted by Ana, the large Yupper growling behind her.

The general moved away from them, hands up and backing away nervously, allowing the Yupper to go towards her master and sit beside him, her head at level height with his chest as she sat.

He ran a hand through the fur at her neck, the large alien canine giving a contented huff as she leaned into it, her long tail thumping softly against the floor.

For a few ticks she was peaceful, until she wasn’t, head snapping up as she peered down the hallway, ears turning towards the footsteps that came closer, a growl in her throat as she saw whatever the others couldn’t.

“Calm down girl, it’s just Min'ak.” Lance said to her quietly, cooing softly to get her to calm down. He could understand the creature's concern.

She’d never seen Min’ak without her mask before.

The aforementioned taller of his generals appeared into the light, her face still revealed to the public eye and holding an impassive cold look as she set herself in front of her Va’li, giving him a short salute in greeting.

Lotor’s generals watched curiously, Zethrid more closely than the rest, glaring straight at her former opponent with a scowl. The defeat was still a bitter taste on her tongue and would be for awhile.

As if feeling her glare Min’ak met her gaze briefly, barely sparing her a proper glance before her attention went back to the Va’li, something that infuriated the other to no end.

“You should take the rest of the day off, you’ve earned it.” He said referring to the fight from earlier.

Her only answer was a breathy snort through her nose, an imitation of a scoff if he knew better.

Like I need it. Is what she was saying silently, her Va’li letting out his own version of a light chuckle at her response. He had already known what her response was going to be, but at this point it was just him being polite.

He scratched idly behind one of Ana’s ears, the yupper's tail thumping softly against the floor as he gave his orders to his subordinate, quietly as to only be heard by Min’ak’s ears only.

“Take Hark with you down to the kennels and give Norvex this.” He handed Min’ak something small and rectangular, similar to a USB stick.

She tilted her head to the side, curiosity evident.

“It’s just a small, overdue thank you and he said he had something he wanted to relay to me, but since I’m busy I’m sure he’d be able to pass it on to you instead.”

Min’ak saluted quickly, leaving to retrieve Hark and carry out her orders while her Va’li stood ever vigilant to await the return of the prince.

* * *

 

“Come on you damn thing, move!” A voice said exasperatingly, obviously more than irritated.

Min’ak and Hark entered the kennel to Norvex fussing at Mayurn, his most prized pet. The great beast of a creature was ghastly to look at, all teeth and claws, multiple eyes wrapped in bandages with a lounging body corded in muscle. It snapped it’s teeth at it’s master, a low growl that shook the ground reverberating through the room.

“Don’t you dare growl at me mister! Who else is going to put up with your grouchy self? Certainly not Nimor and Feroke. You’re over here acting like a funchek in a lanoss bin!” Norvex griped, pulling the edges of his cloak free from where it was pinned under the creature’s claws.

A melodic sound flowed through the room like water in a brook, Norvex looking up towards one of his step daughters who sat still as stone above her step father and the kennels, pointing towards the two of the Va'li's team that had long since entered. She was dressed like any other druid, aside from her immense height that she and her twin shared there was nothing to differentiate her from any of the other druids in Haggar's circle.

Norvex looked towards them, scarred face breaking out into a bright grin at the sight of them.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of such a visit? And Min’ak, darling, you’re looking as beautiful as ever.” He said, welcoming them both with open arms.

Min’ak handed Norvex the drive with a curt nod to his compliment, the other’s eyes lighting up as he saw it, grabbing it quickly and going over to a terminal to look over the information.

It was quiet for a few moments, Hark and Min’ak standing silently by as they awaited any further instructions from Norvex.

The former druid was engrossed in whatever had been on the drive, mumbling to himself in a mix of Galra and his native dialect as he skimmed through the information quickly, blowing away a few strands of pale blonde hair that strayed from atop his head and into his face, the grin he wore somehow wider when he turned back to the two.

“Your Va’li never disappoints as usual, I expected nothing less of course. Nimor darling would you call the retrieval team together please? We have a few locations to scout out and a few new pets to catch.” He remarked with happiness, overcome with a sort of giddiness at the prospect of new pets.

Mayurn gave a low huff, the giant scaled beast growling lowly with his head to the floor as he shuffled towards Norvex carefully.

Norvex waved him off, the large creature nudging under his arms. Though with him being so big the ex druid was basically shoved to the side.

“Oh hush, no one could ever replace you. You know this,” He cooed, “Now stop all your growling you’re not a pup.” He admonished, pushing Mayurn's head away. With the giant creature placated in the thought that his spot as the favorite would not be taken away he settled down at the galran's feet.

Norvex turned to the two that had been patiently waiting, a small smile brushing his lips. “Thank you two for bringing this to me. And don’t forget to tell the Va’li I appreciate his thanks, even if it is a bit overdue.” He said, placing his arms down relaxed at his waist. As if in an afterthought he lifted up one of his hands, fingers splayed out and curling back down as if counting.

“Before you go tell your Va’li he has about two favors left.” He put his hand back down at his waist, watching the two team members depart.

Norvex spared a glance to his left, Feroke towering over him by his side. The female looked at her father through her mask, whatever expression she had on her face was nothing more than a mystery to him.

“We should leave now father.” She said, voice sounding echoed and distant behind the mask. Her voice held a certain urgency to it, the tone concerned and worried. It was magnified by the fact that one of her clawed hands was gripping tightly to his sleeved cloak.

She hadn’t done that since…

He gave her a small smile, placing a hand over hers in comfort. “Your worry is unnecessary, we’ll be fine. Why do you think we’re going with the retrieval team?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is gonna focus on more of Lotor and Keith's conversation and then a joining up/reunion of sorts I guess.


	29. A Prince's Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor and Keith talk and the need to leave arises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 3am fuck me
> 
> Also don't expect another update so soon, this was an anomaly and rare.

The garden was quiet and still, besides the rushing of a small manmade brook and the running of the air vents as it provided circulation through the garden air, there wasn’t much in lieu of artificial sounds.

Keith walked through the worn garden path leisurely, ears twitching as he took in the calming sounds that surrounded him.

He was less than pleased when that peace was broken. His eyes opened to look and glare at his brother. The other was standing a ways at his right, paying his younger sibling no mind as he held a flower in his right hand, thumb moving over the white petals that pulsed with blue veins.

“Happy birthday brother.” Lotor said calmly, voice smooth yet devoid of any sort of affection to the sentiment.

He was met with silence.

The flower was crushed.

“No greeting for your big brother after having not seen each other for so long? Why Kei’thak I’m hurt.” Lotor said, a look of faux hurt crossing his face.

The flower and it’s crushed petals fell to the ground.

“What are you doing back from exile? Father was quite clear about you not coming back. You know, it being exile and all.” Keith said clearly, getting straight to the point.

He could just about catch the most minute twitch of one of Lotor’s eyes, his teeth clenched down with his lips pressed and jaw tight.

Keith just stood there, watching him, a moment of silence between the two before Keith spoke up again. “Can I ask the reason for this visit?” He asked, walking towards one of the smaller ponds in the garden; the one that housed the midnight black eels. On his way he picked off a hanging fruit from one of the garden trees, taking out his dagger in a smooth motion.

Lotor watched the younger kneel by the pond of eels, cutting out small slices of the fruit and tossing it in the water. The eyes of all the eels opened, six eyes on all five of them glowing a blue violet in the surrounding water. As the light hit their skin multicolored designs were revealed in every color imaginable, reflecting through the water in a myriad of shapes and colors against the pond bottom. It swirled and mixed as they rushed for the treat, a few of the more ambitious ones rising up from the water to get at the fruit directly, Keith keeping it just out of reach much to the hissing displeasure of the creatures.

“What? The oldest can’t visit his younger brother and wish him a happy birthday?”

“With you involved? No.” Keith said surely, not even glancing at Lotor as he threw another slice of the fruit in the water. The sounds of the creatures splashing the only noise to occupy and dominate the silence. “Now what do you want?” Keith asked again.

Lotor straightened himself up, face now stern and more serious than it was previously. “The Rebellion seems to be attacking and taking over territories within the empire.”

“That’s generally what rebellions do.”

“Specifically my own.”

“Hm.”

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything of it would you brother?” Lotor watched his younger brother carefully, looking for any tells that would give him away. And as always there were none, his brother as impassive and unreadable as ever.

“Why would you ask me? I know nothing of any of this.” Keith said, saying it like he was just musing over it and not really expecting or wanting any sort of answer.

He threw another slice into the pond.

“It started over a phebe ago Kei’thak, just after you were captured.”

Keith stilled at that, the eels still swarming over what few pieces of fruit that lingered in the cool waters.

“Don’t look so surprised, just because my banishment requires my absence from the empire doesn’t mean I am truly disconnected from it.” Lotor said, a smirk to his words that laid smoothly on his lips.

Keith stayed silent, resuming the cutting of the rest of the fruit before throwing in the last few pieces and throwing the pit to the side, cleaning his knife right after.

“Is there a point to this?” Keith asked quietly, hands in his lap as he continued to stare into the water, the eels having calmed down without the presence of food about, their scaleless skin turned black once more.

“Before your little…vacation, the rebellion was barely able to make a dent and yet in the time after your return to the empire they were able to target and take down more than a few of my own territories. Now how would they know information like that? Their maneuvers and takedowns were much too detailed and efficient for it them to have just gotten it from some agent on the inside.” He finished, staring pointedly at the prince that refused to meet his eyes.

“If you’re implying what I think you’re implying you’re just as big a fool as father said you were.” Keith answered him, moving to stand up.

Lotor bristled at the remark made of him, eyes held in a steely cold glare at the other. “I may be a banished prince but I can assure you I am still able to fight like royalty against those that speak ill towards me.”

The younger prince turned his head towards the older, looking at him for a few ticks before he turned around and began walking out of the gardens.

“If you’re done I’ll be getting back to the celebration held in my honor. Don’t care to drop by if you’re still entertaining the idea I'm somehow a traitor to my empire and people.” Keith said accusingly, leaving his brother alone in the gardens behind him.

* * *

 

Keith walked through the doors and down the many corridors to his quarters, Lance hurriedly following behind him.

Once behind closed doors Keith finally seemed to relax, although minutely. He somehow shuffled out of his boots, falling face first into his bed armor and all with as much grace as a stray shipment of cargo entering a planet's atmosphere.

“You done for the night?” Lance asked quietly, looking over Keith’s form for any sort of reaction. There was a faint shrugging motion in reply. “You gonna take a nap for a bit then?

A few moments of silence and then a stiff nod into his pillow was Keith’s answer.

“Alright then, I’ll wake you up in a bit and then we’ll talk about whatever has you in a mood, cool?”

Another nod.

“Alright.” Lance made his way over to the bed, sitting his back against the headboard with both legs stretched out in front of him, a free hand carding lithe fingers through thick, soft hair, idly scratching just behind a large ear. He smiled as something akin to a purr met his own ears, repeating the motion until Keith’s breathing evened out deep and slow.

The soft look on Lance’s face hardened a bit, thinking about Lotor’s reappearance within the empire's ranks. This would cause some trouble to stir, both for them and politically.

They had to leave and soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will focus on Voltron next


	30. Air of Betrayal and Slow Notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sniffing out spies and slow dances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only took me forever lmao.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I didn't mean for it to get this long of a chapter but I'm sure no one minds.

The air was cool and quiet despite the near-stifling tension that seemed to blanket the room like a thick fog.

 

Allura, the paladins, and a few other small leaders within the Rebellion were all standing around one side of the table situated in the far middle of the room, all focusing on  the two others that stood on the other side.

 

Revra held his sister up, Driya leaning heavily against him, clutching at her shawl wrapped around her shoulders.

 

“Revra, could you get my blanket for me? I’m cold.” She spoke, voice hoarse and soft from disuse for over a year. Revra's face lit up with happiness as she spoke to him, and he made sure she was properly seated before he left. He was none the wiser to her obvious trick to get him out of the room, just happy that his older sister was talking again.

 

When the doors closed Driya looked up at the people before her, dark eyes looking into bright blue and then at the glint of a blade that was put on the table with a solid thunk by nimble hands.

 

“I assume this is about…certain events then?” Driya asked softly, clearing her sore throat a bit.

 

“Your brother said this knife was left in the Va’li’s side the last time he saw it, back when the last base you were assigned to was attacked, so how exactly did you end up having it in your possession?” Allura asked, a hard edge in her voice.

 

“It was left for me.”

 

“Left for you?” The rebel leader spoke up, a questioning lilt in his voice, his face held in the same hard glare as Allura.

 

“Yes.”

 

“How and why was it left for you?” Allura asked, the room blanketed in silence to hear the other’s explanation.

 

“How? I assume the Va’li had left it during his escape.” She answered softly, eyes holding a far away look in them.

 

“Where?”

 

“It was behind the healing pod the prince was in. I had found the knife while on cleaning detail.” She finished, dragging her shawl tighter around her shoulders, the cool air of the room getting to her.

 

“How do you know the Va’li left the blade for you specifically?” Allura asked, eyes honed in on Driya's face for any reaction.

 

Driya idly messed with the ring on her finger, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the Altean in the slightest. “Just a hunch.”

 

“Are you communicating with the Va’li in some way? Are you a spy?” The rebel leader asked- demanded more like. His posture was tense, voice leaving no room for idle chatter or thin words that gave no clear answer. “Answer me!” He bellowed, the others at the table flinching.

 

Driya stayed unmoving and silent, doing nothing more than fiddle with the ring on her finger.

 

It was then that Revra came back into the room, walking cautiously towards his sister when the small councils' gazes went to him for a moment. When he got close enough he draped the blanket over his sister, the other thanking him quietly, her hand on his while giving him a reassuring smile.

 

The rebel leader spoke up then, voice commanding and leaving no room for negotiation, “Put her in a cell, at the moment she poses a risk to the Rebellion and our cause.”

 

Revra’s head snapped up, eyes wide as he looked between his sister and the small council. 

 

“What’s the meaning of this?” He questioned, voice defensive of his sister. Driya squeezed his hand, trying to calm her brother down before he went into another one of his outbursts. “Its okay Revra, just go back to our quarters and wait for me there.”

 

“But-“

 

“Revra please.” She pleaded softly, dark eyes looking into his own, begging him not to make this any worse than it could possibly be. He reluctantly let up at her pleading gaze, backing away to allow the rebel soldiers to take his sister down to the cells.

 

As he watched his sister disappear past the doors, the council members filing out in front of him, a hand laid gently on his shoulder. His eyes met those of the Princess of Altea, a look of concern and understanding lying in her gaze.

 

“Revra, you have to understand, we’ve come too far and lost too many lives to lose what footing we have. Your sister will be quarantined with no communication whatsoever. And I’ll see to it she isn’t harmed. That’s not our way.” She tried to reassure him, getting a shaky jerk of his head, something akin to a nod, in lieu of an answer. He shrugged off her hand, his own clenched as he left the room and went to go to his quarters to wait until his sister’s return.

 

That much he could do at least.

 

Allura watched him leave, knowing he was more than likely feeling helpless and betrayed.

 

She knew that feeling all too well.

 

“We need to capture the prince as soon as possible, who knows what information she might’ve given to the enemy. And if that’s the case we need to act fast.” Dalyu said, the rebel leader standing off to the side with his arms crossed as he spoke to the Altean princess.

 

For once Allura agreed with him, taking out the small communication device that had been given to her when they had last met face to face with the Galran prince.

 

With quick movements she put in the coordinates the prince would need to meet them at, her fingers hesitating just above the confirmation button for a tick before she pressed it.

 

She hoped this wasn’t a mistake.

 

@@@

 

Keith woke up with a gasp and the feeling of a body pinned under him. Realizing just who it was Keith picked himself off of them, apologizing profusely.

 

“Shit Lance, sorry I-“

 

The other just laughed softly, he had his helmet off for once, which meant that the door was more than likely locked. A goofy love-struck look was on his face, more amused than frightened at the fact that Keith had instinctively pinned him in his sleep as he tried to wake the prince up. Keith even had his hand to his throat like he was holding his knife and Lance was pretty sure if he hadn’t had taken it beforehand he would’ve found that blade to his throat.

 

“Don’t be,” Lance paused and grinned “It was kind of hot actually.” Lance laughed as Keith hit his face with a pillow, mock-pressing it into his face to shut him up, the other laughing uncontrollably into the soft fabric.

 

“You’re ridiculous.” Keith said, fondness seeping into his tone, fixing the laughing boy with a soft look.

 

At least, until he realized what time it was.

 

“Wanna tell me why you felt the need to wake me up this early?” Keith said. It had been well into the late hours of the night before his birthday celebration had died down. He’d excused himself from it to finally rest, tired from all the socializing and having to entertain guests for so long.

 

An eyebrow rose in question as he awaited Lance’s answer, the light mood dissipating as Lance held up the device with the coordinates sent from Voltron.

 

“Let’s go then.” Keith said quietly, getting up to change from his earlier outfit.

 

Lance watched him for a few moments, sitting up and getting his helmet from the floor. It was quiet, the only sounds the rustling from Keith as he finished putting on a lighter version of his casual armor for the trip to the received coordinates.

 

Seeing Lance ready he made his way to the door, or would have if Lance hadn’t grabbed his wrist, stopping him from going any further.

 

“Wh-“

 

“What’s wrong? You look worried.” Lance explained, saying nothing more after that and opting instead to wait for Keith to put his words together. Past experience taught him it was better not to press when it came to having to talk him through his feelings. There was only a few situations that required Lance to actually pressure Keith into spilling his frustrations, or risk letting those feelings fester and erupt in an unhealthy way.

 

It didn’t seem like he’d have to go that far this time.

 

Keith sighed, giving Lance a what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze of his hand before he answered him, “I’ll tell you later let’s just…let's just get out of here first.” He said.

 

Lance looked at him for a moment before he nodded, putting his helmet on and following Keith out of the room and into the corridor, following the hallway down into the hangars.

 

Years of boredom patrolling these halls had Lance unintentionally memorizing the guards' paths and routes they took, along with the timing of turns for each sentry posted on duty.

 

Safe to say it took no time at all to dodge and sneak past the sentries with ease, both making it down to the hangar where the ships were held in no time at all.

 

Keith took the lead, finding a ship and entering it quickly, preparing it for lift off while Lance kept watch outside.

 

As Keith did that Lance walked a few feet away from the ship, looking pointedly in one direction before he spoke.

 

“Min’ak.”

 

His general revealed herself from the shadows, walking quietly towards him with a grace most inhuman. She didn’t have her helmet on and Lance, knowing a replacement had been sent to her earlier, knew she more than likely had deliberately left it behind.

 

She’d informed him of Haggar’s tracking systems and video feed recordings when they had first gotten the new suits, disabling them just as quickly with the excuse of sparring with everyone. And it was likely she’d purposely left it behind for that reason.

 

She stood a foot or two from him and there they stood, eyeing each other as Keith got the ship up and running, calling for Lance a tick later.

 

Min’ak said nothing, she usually didn’t, ice cold eyes unblinking as she lifted her arm, pressing the top of her hand to his shoulder and tapping it twice.

 

She was mimicking the first greeting Lance had given her when they had first met over two years ago.

 

He returned it, only able to tap her on her wrist this time since she was so tall next to him.

 

At Keith’s insistent call he turned to leave, making it into the ship before he turned to look back, the spot where Min’ak had stood now empty and devoid of any evidence anyone had ever been there. He knocked on the metal of the ship a few times to signal to Keith he was inside, the ship’s doors closing behind him.

 

The ship was well out into space by the time Lance made his way to the cockpit with Keith, watching the other check over the controls and systems of the ship. He held his hand out, and Lance wasted no time in taking the communication device from his person and handing it over, Keith plugged in the sent coordinates and mapped out their route, face pinched in concentration at his task.

 

Lance leaned against the side of the pilot’s chair, leaning over him to press a few buttons much to Keith’s chagrin, turning on autopilot for the ship and pulling Keith from the chair in a standing position.

 

“Lance what?-” Keith snapped his mouth shut when the low notes of a song sounded out, the instruments of it sounding willowy and drawn out in low strums, the other notes melding together in the slow dance of the melody. Lance had forgone his helmet- he wouldn’t need it until they reached their assigned destination, and until then they were alone.

 

Keith held back a smile, more of a small upturn of his lips than anything, as Lance held out his hand for him. He reached out to take it, smile visibly returning when Lance pulled him close, an arm around his waist and his hand entangled with his own. Lance led them, Keith following perfectly in step with his impromptu dance partner, his ears flicking to the sides in a flustered manner when Lance tilted his head up to press a kiss to his forehead.

 

“What are you doing?” Keith asked, gold eyes looking at Lance with an air of curiosity.

 

“Um…dancing with you? What does it look like I’m doing?” Lance asked him, face set in a confused pout.

 

“Why?”

 

“I wasn’t able to on your birthday, so I thought I’d make it up to you. It’s not the five star restaurant candle lit dinner date I would take you on but I figure it’s good enough given the circumstances.” Lance answered, voice so sincere Keith couldn’t help but feel his heart ache.

 

Keith pressed his forehead to Lance’s, listening to the music for a bit before he spoke up again.

 

“We should do that then.”

 

“Do what?”

 

“Go on a dinner date to that five star whatever with candles. Sounds nice.” He murmured, trailing off as the music did before rising back up in a crescendo of slow sounding notes.

 

Lance laughed at that, holding Keith tighter against him, pressing another soft kiss against the other's cheek. “We should.”

 

They stood there, just holding each other and moving slowly to the music until a flashing light caught their attention. The sight of a ship much larger than their own coming into view as they readied to enter the desolate moon’s atmosphere, preparing a possible landing site on its surface.

 

“We’re here.”


	31. Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interrogations and deeper conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof still working on this don't worry!

“Here’s something to eat, I’m sure you’re hungry.”

 

Allura placed a tray of food just inside the cell, the energy field creating a small open space to push it through before closing back up.

 

Driya barely spared her a glance, hard to tell with her ink black eyes, going back to fiddling with the ring on her finger. She hadn’t said a word to anyone since her imprisonment, opting to sit with her back to the wall, legs crossed and hands in her lap as she messed with the band of metal that circled her finger.

 

“Can I ask you a question?” Allura asked. She could’ve sworn the air turned  several degrees colder, even with her ink black eyes she felt her gaze that spoke volumes of “You already did.” with a pointed glare all wrapped into one. The look reminded her of her own mother from long ago. “You may, it’s not like I have much of a choice anyway.” She continued quietly, eyes drawn down once again to her ring.

 

“Were you working with the Galra?” She might as well come out with it, as much as Allura wanted to trust that she wasn’t, the evidence that had come up against her was too much to ignore. Revra’s act of being the one to wound the Va’li revealed that it had been last seen with them. Meaning that the only way she could’ve gotten it was from them directly. And with her story about them leaving it behind that in itself proved they knew she might know what it meant since it was impossible for them to know that she would get it right after. All in all it was looking more and more like she was working for or with them and that didn’t bode well for her future if the council had anything to say about it.

 

“The Galra destroyed my planet and everyone I ever loved right in front of my eyes as I sat there in their chains and watched. Then I was forced into the dark mines of a strange planet whose people were killed or enslaved like nothing more than herd animals. I lost my children to what those monsters did. So answer your own question then, I promise you’ll get it right.” Driya’s tone was biting, her hands pausing from fidgeting to curl into her palms in clenched fists.

 

“Why would they have left the blade then if not for you?” Allura questioned, the words tumbling from her mouth like a brook over smooth pebbles.

 

“I never said they didn’t.” A beat of tense silence passed, thoughts and theories going through Allura’s mind as she tried to piece together a puzzle she couldn’t quite understand. Se nodded her heads towards Driya instead, eyes zoning in on her hands.“Tell me about that ring. I’ve noticed you messing with it during the meeting with the council. Is it important to you?”

 

Driya tilted her head to the side as she watched the princess closely, a few of her appendages slipping from her wrapped scarf and dangling idly at the side of her face. After a brief moment she lifted up her hand, showing Allura the hand that bore her ring, the metal glinting coldly against the blue accent lights of the cell.

 

“This ring is made of a metal unique to my planet and only my planet. Most of it was destroyed among the fires that consumed my home and family. And the last of the ore was clutched in my bleeding hands as the cuffs that restrained me bit into my wrists, burning the scars into my skin.” She said, growing quiet once more, thinking carefully about her next words.

 

Allura knew from her studies that Driya was apart of a people most private. It had taken centuries before they had agreed to set up a trade line with any other planet and even then it was strained. No foreigners were allowed and they stayed out of most conflicts between others, maintaining their own peace for centuries.

 

Until the galra came.

 

Allura had went over the reports herself and it was confirmed that Driya’s planet hadn’t made it through the Galra’s destruction. None of it did. It’s core was so hot everything burned from the inside out, leaving nothing to salvage or hold precious.

 

“How did you go about getting that ring? It would have taken phebes to even get the metal hot enough to begin to become malleable, how could you have found the time?” Allura finally asked, watching as the other lifted her head up to look at her, eyes glinting in the light. “How could you possibly have had the ring made if you were only out of imprisonment from the galran empire for three phebes?” Allura explained, eyes curious and tone questioning, waiting patiently albeit eagerly for her answer.

 

“Long ago I had given it to someone I considered one of my own.”

 

* * *

 

 

Lance hovered over Keith’s shoulder as they entered the atmosphere of the planet they’d been led to. Keith’s eyes focusing on the scenery outside of the glass before flitting to Lance’s hand that was resting on his shoulder, noticing that his pointer and middle finger were rubbing idly against each other, most likely touching the band of metal he hadn’t taken off since he’d gotten it made and received nearly a year ago.

 

“You wondering if you’ll see her again?” Keith finally spoke, pointedly looking back in front of him as he scanned the are for a proper landing spot.

 

Lance let out a short, questioning hum, Keith jerking his head towards Lance’s hand, ears flickering slightly at the movement before he continued explaining. “You’re messing with the ring again, you hoping to see your mom again?” Keith waited and listened, the cockpit so silent he could pick up on Lance’s heartbeat, oddly calm and steady.

 

“She’s not…she’s not my mom. Not by blood at least.”

 

“That doesn’t mean she’s not, she practically raised you with Avre Lance, someone like her doesn’t get more mom than that.” Another beat of silence passed, “You know…it’s…it’s okay that you consider her your mom you know. You’re…you’re not replacing your real mom back on-”

 

“Keith, drop it…please.” Lance’s tone was calm, an eery sort of calm that didn’t seem to fit his words exactly. And without another word he turned and left the cockpit, likely going back to put the rest of his gear on and do a quick check and sweep of his weapons.

 

Keith sighed as he fell silent, paying attention to the flight path before landing down in a clearing he’d found at the coordinates they were given, making sure the ship’s systems and transmission receivers were in working order before he let himself lay back and relax, going over the conversation or lack thereof that they had just a few moments prior.

 

He had plenty of time to think considering all they had to do now was wait on Voltron to find them.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably have more klance centered povs for the next few chapters since I feel like it's kinda getting to the point of tiring to have little snippets here and there so watch out for that.

**Author's Note:**

> Remember to tell me what you think! I'm open to ideas, new au's, and any suggestions for future chapters.


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